Crush - Valentine Tango
by Lozena
Summary: New Year's passed, and Bakura is still no closer to getting with Ryou. Desperate, he gets help from Cupid. Cupid will only shoot his arrow for Bakura if Bakura can get his friends together by Valentine's Day. In the meantime, why not fool around with Cupid?
1. Ask Cupid!

_A/N: You guys I am so so sorry that this took so long to get up. I have excuses upon excuses...but they're just excuses._

_Too much time has passed for the second part of Crush to be Christmas or New Year's themed, but to make up for it, I'll add flashbacks of each time, both in Bakura and Ryou's POV's. However, the main focus is Valentine's Day._

_Hopefully you guys are still with me._

_Curtains!_

_Chapter One - Ask Cupid!_

* * *

"Woe is me. Woe is me. Woe is me. Woe is-"

Bakura chucked his recently sharpened pencil at Yami. "Shut the fuck up."

Yami gave him a dark look and pulled the pencil out of his hair. "You poked a hole in my hair, asshole. And you out of all people should understand why I'm so upset."

Bakura's eyebrows raised and he snorted. "I'm not the one that's been rejected. I just haven't gotten an answer yet."

Yami smirked. "Because he's ignoring you."

The white-haired boy fought the temptation to punch his friend in the eye. Thinking about the freshman only served to piss Bakura off. Yami knew that was a sore spot for him right now. Bakura turned his head away. "Whatever."

Yami set the pencil on the table. "Are you finally going to tell me what happened between you two, or am I going to have to continue to guess?"

Bakura met his friends eyes. Yami was honestly curious. He sighed and leaned back on the couch. "It happened at the Christmas party."

Yami's jaw dropped. "I thought you guys hit off then! What did you do?"

"I kissed him."

"Is that really so bad?"

Bakura huffed and closed his eyes. "With him it is. Now listen."

_(Flashback)_

_The party was in full swing. Many of their peers from the junior and senior class were here, along with some sophmores and only selective freshmen. They were either dancing, mingling by the food, or goofing around with the sound system and karaoke machine. The atmosphere was light and friendly. You couldn't not be in a good mood. _

_Only, Bakura had just started to enjoy himself._

_He started off with the whole group earlier, but everyone eventually broke off to do their own thing. Anzu was currently being chatted up by the quiet boy of the senior class, Otogi Ryuji. Thankfully, her jealous boyfriend, Hisao Akio, wasn't there to see. Normally she'd be turning down boys left and right, but he was an exception tonight. And she tapping her nose, an obvious sign of her responding accordingly to his advances._

_Katsuya and Shizuka had gone over to dapple in the karaoke. Neither sounded very attractive on the mic, but egged each other on anyway. Seto had followed, intending only to stick by his crush through out the party. He was eventually pulled to the middle of the floor and forced to sing with Katsuya. Once it was over, the way Seto was feeling was written all over his face, and Katsuya only sported a light blush._

_Yami eventually located Yugi and Ryou talking awkwardly amongst themselves. They were two of the few freshman actually invited to Yami's party. After a few minutes, and a loud wail of 'this is my song!' from Yugi, Yami was pulled to dance. Yugi clearly had skills and had Yami struggling to keep up._

_Bakura felt more comfortable on the wall, it kept him from getting annoyed and hurting someone, and Ryou came over to join him. _

_He wasn't sure how long the two had been standing there talking, but he did know that Ryou was the only source of some happiness the whole night. He only went to Yami's Christmas parties because he was his best friend, and this was their last one. Looking at Ryou, he realized he never felt more bummed about being a senior._

_He and Ryou had been spending time together since they made their deal. Bakura would never admit it to everyone in case his reputation was trashed, but he enjoyed having the boy to himself._

_It was also agonizing. The senior wanted more than just talking and walking the freshman idiot to class. He wanted to claim him already. He'd spent enough time pining after the boy. When would the time come to kiss him?_

_Bakura started and remembered a possible solution to his problem. He glanced up, and sure enough, the little green thing was hanging above them. They weren't directly under it, but who cared?_

_"Ryou."_

_The shorter boy looked up at him with a smile. Bakura couldn't help but smile back. "Yea?"_

_Bakura was tempted to look around to make sure no one was paying attention, but decided against it. He was Bakura, and if anyone had anything to say, he'd simply kick their ass._

_With that thought, he leaned in and pressed his lips to Ryou's._

_It only lasted for a few seconds, but it was enough for the older teen. Ryou's lips were so soft, so warm...And the boy was starting to respond back..._

_Ryou stiffened and pushed him away. "Oh God."_

_Confusion washed over Bakura. "You didn't like it?"_

_Ryou didn't answer, but he looked just as confused as Bakura felt. And...was he scared? "I didn't want it!"_

_The boy rushed off, leaving Bakura on the wall by himself._

_(End Flashback)_

"Wow Bakura. I didn't think you were such a bad kisser."

Bakura growled. "Shut up Yami! This is serious. I don't even know what happened."

Yami sighed and went to sit by his friend on the couch. "Have you talked to him since then?"

Bakura came to conclusion that his friend was stupid. "Don't you think if I had talked to him by now, I wouldn't be feeling so shitty? He's been ignoring my calls, and when I stalk his house, he doesn't let me in."

"I probably wouldn't let you in either," Bakura gave him a warning glare, "but maybe he's just overwhelmed right now and has to figure out the way he feels."

The white-haired boy snorted. "I called for a love doctor?"

Yami kicked Bakura in the thigh. "I'm only trying to help you, ass hole. At least you and Ryou have something. Yugi doesn't even like me." He sighed. "We go back to school next week. Maybe he'll be willing to talk to you then."

Bakura closed his eyes and leaned his head on the pillows. Perhaps Yami was right. The kid had to be some type of smart, considering he was allowed to a skip a grade when he was younger. He could be onto something.

Maybe things would get better at school.

* * *

Things at school were definitely not better.

Bakura slammed the front door and stormed through the house. It was good his mom wasn't home yet. He didn't want to hear her mouth about his mood.

Bakura had left the house that morning in a good mood. His mother didn't ask questions, but he shocked her stiff when he accepted her hug. The day was going to be better. It had been two weeks since he'd seen Ryou, and hoped the boy had himself together.

His mood crashed as soon as he got to school. It wasn't hard to find the freshman in the morning. He was always at his locker, arranging it like he did everyday before school started. Bakura was sure that the two were going to talk, but when Ryou had seen Bakura, he slammed his locker shut and bolted.

Throughout the rest of the day it became clear that Ryou was avoiding Bakura like the plague, only serving to piss him off. And because Ryou pissed him off, he went back to doing what he did best.

He hadn't felt any remorse for making anyone cry or hurt. He was angry, and he and Ryou's bet was long over. Now he could go back into his routine full force. It was a good thing; people were getting too used to Bakura's change in attitude and weren't cowering from him in terror. He corrected that quickly.

His friends were useless. They had their own relationship issues which annoyed the fuck out of him.

Yami was pining after Yugi like a lost puppy, and the freshman was trying to make it clear to Yami that they weren't going to happen. Needless to say, Yami was just as pissed as Bakura. Although he wasn't as dangerous, Yami's tounge was fierce and he'd hurt a lot of feelings.

Seto and Katsuya couldn't themselves together. It was obvious Seto was head-over-heels for the junior and vice versa, but each of their reputations and personalities were getting in the way. Seto was an arrogant bastard, and had a hard time showing affection, much less controlling the way he treated people. Though they were all his friends, Seto had a habit of putting them down. By now they'd all come to accept that that's just who he was, but it was difficult not to beat the boys ass. Katsuya, however, was promiscuous and a very wanted character at school. It was no secret that he was a fan of one night stands, girl and boy alike, and it was rare that he kept one single partner for too long. He didn't trust other very well either. He was very suspicious, and growing up with a bastard of a dad who'd left him on his own didn't help either. The two were now pissed off at each other, and had been since the Christmas party. Seto went home with Katsuya and things went from there.

Otogi was infatuated with Anzu, and Anzu was clearly feeling the same way. But she was stuck with that idiot of a boyfriend, and she seemed to be going through issues recently. She'd been coming to school more depressed than usual.

And because everyone decided to have their own problems the same day he did, no one was really able to help him.

Bakura entered his room, threw his book bag against the wall, and started punching every available surface. What was he supposed to do now that Ryou was ignoring him? He still couldn't figure out why. The kiss couldn't have been that bad. Ryou had to have felt the same things he did. And the younger boy had begun to respond back!

Was this one of those bumps in the road that everyone seemed to have? Or was he being tested? He hated being tested. He always failed pop quizzes!

Bakura realized that he wouldn't be able to figure this out himself. With a new determination, he sat as his desk, turned on the computer, and loaded a search engine on the browser. Carefully he typed in his question. _Why is my partner ignoring me?_

Bakura almost let himself get deterred the by 5,000,000 and counting results, but he was sure he could hold on. His reading skills were good enough to carry him through the process for a couple of hours.

However, it was only half an hour later when Bakura let out a wail. Nothing was matching up with his current problem. Probably because he wasn't fucking Ryou yet, but still, there had to be _something _that could help him. Frustrated, he clicked on the fifth page. The first link caught his eye. _Cupid Answers! Let the god of love answer your questions. Who else better than the one who decides who gets a love stick up their ass?_

Was Bakura really this desperate?

He was.

Bakura clicked, and the new page loaded quickly. The background was a sickening pink, and at the top was a graphic of a baby holding a bow and arrow. The bow was shaped like a heart, and the arrow had a heart end. In the baby's diaper were more of the arrows. Under the baby, small black text told Bakura to type his question in the box below.

The question was a bit different this time. _How do I get with the boy of my sexual fantasies? _Bakura pressed enter and another window popped up. This page was pink as well, and the picture of the baby had changed to look like it was about to shoot an arrow at Bakura. Under the baby was more text. _Thanks for your question!Don't close this window screen. Give it a few minutes and you'll have the answer you need. In the meantime, open your window._

Bakura frowned. What kind of request was that? Nevertheless, Bakura got up to open the window. However, as soon as the window opened a crack, something small and round came sailing through. Practically letting out a roar, Bakura pushed the window all the way up and leaned out to see who threw the damn rock. No one was out. Must have been some good runners.

Bakura turned and dropped to the floor, scanning it for the rock. He found it in time, raising his eyebrows when he picked it up. It wasn't a rock at all, but a pink ball about the size of a marble. There was writing on the marble. He turned it so he could read. _If you receive this ball, knock it three times and throw gently on the floor._

Bakura's lips tightened into a thin line. He was sure his mother had told him about following directions of strange balls, but what harm could it do? Bakura knocked the ball on the leg of his desk and then plopped back down on the floor and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And was deciding to smash the ball when the writing disappeared and the ball started shaking. Panic washed over Bakura. _I caught a pokemon! _He shook the thought out his head and braced himself for whatever was about to happen.

The ball rolled around three times and stopped, cracking right down the middle. The halves fell apart, and wispy pink mist was floating up. Bakura's hard look turned to one of surprise when the mist started swirling around and taking the shape of a person. The first things that were completely visible were hands and feet. Then came the arms and legs, a torso, a diaper covered bottom, and finally the head and face of a grinning boy. The boy had red eyes and black curls, and white wings were attached to his back.

What. The. Fuck.

The boy looked down and noticed Bakura. He allowed himself to float down until they were sitting right in front of each other. His eyes were twinkling with mischief. "So you're the one who called me. I'm glad. You're pretty cute."

Bakura's jaw dropped. Was he coming onto him? "Who are you?"

The boy raised on of his eyebrows. "Well the site's name was 'Ask Cupid'...and I'm definitely in a diaper. But if you feel weird calling me that, I suppose you can use my more common name." He held his hand out. "I'm Kile."

Bakura smacked the boy's hand away. "This is a load of bullshit. Who put you up to this?"

Kile sighed and pushed his curls back. "I'm really not in the mood to explain myself, especially when I'm distracted by other things." He gave a pointed look to the middle of Bakura's legs. Bakura promptly stood up and moved away. "I'm Cupid, the guy of Valentine's Day and all that shit, and I'm here to help you." He paused and smirked. "Or maybe we can help each other."

"Alright, first, I'm not fucking a guy in a diaper, no matter how cute you are."

Kile stood up and smiled. "You think I'm cute?"

"Second, if you're going to help me with my problem, then you need to put some clothes on. My mom will flip out and call one of her girly friends or something. I don't need them thinking we're in here role-playing."

Kile pouted and snapped his fingers. His diaper was now replaced with tight red jeans, a black v-neck long sleeve under a black vest, and black boots. Bakura did what he could not to oogle the boy. "Now that I have on more clothes than necessary, which don't seem to be helping your wandering eye," Bakura looked away, "what's the problem?"

Bakura sat on his bed, just to put as much between them as he could, and explained what was going on. From the time he and Ryou met the bet to now, including his friends problems. Kile listened intently, nodding on some parts. When he finished, Kile whistled. "Well, this is going to take a lot more than I thought." He shook his head. "A freshman? How old is he, fourteen?"

Bakura actually blushed, and mentally cursed himself. He was too tough to blush. It wasn't like he hadn't thought about the age difference. He just ignored it. In his eyes, age was just a number, especially when someone as cute as Ryou was in the picture.

Kile went on. "Alright, I'll help you, but on one condition."

"No!" Bakura fell back on the bed. "Conditions are what got me into this mess."

Kile took advantage of Bakura's current position and climbed over him. Bakura attempted to push him off, but Kile grabbed his wrists and held them to the bed. "It's nothing bad, I promise. All of your friends are having problems, and I don't want to leave without helping them as well. Besides, nothing comes without a price. If you want my help, then you have to help me get your friends in order. Only when they're together with their mates will you get together with this Ryou guy. Understood?"

Bakura sighed. Like earlier, he was desperate. "Fine. Deal."

Kile smirked. "Great. And if you and Ryou don't work out, then maybe we can..." He trailed off and lowered his groin to grind against Bakura. Bakura flipped the boy off the bed.

"That will never happen. Keep your fucking penis to yourself!"

* * *

_**A/N: **__How's that for a first chapter? Honestly, I think Kile is pretty cute for a cupid. *starry eyes*_

_Reviews are love guys!_

_Posted 1/27_

_Update 2/5/13 - Anzu has a boyfriend now! Her plot has changed a little._


	2. No Name (For the moment)

_A/N:__Second chapter! I was so surprised with the favs/alerts this was getting, so I nearly rushed to finish._

_This chapter is just going to focus on the problems with everyone else since they'll be important in this story. So, it could be considered a filler. Could be. Kile decides who the first victims are!_

_Curtains!_

_Chapter 2: No Name (As of the moment)_

**_**IMP: If you already read this chapter before I posted the update, Anzu's story line has changed. She has a boyfriend now. I've also updated chapter one to fit her plot as well. _**

* * *

What was worse; being a senior who desperately wanted a freshman, or being a senior that's been rejected by a freshman?

Yami groaned. If it got out that Yugi turned him down, he wouldn't be able to show his face without being embarrassed. Usually he was the heartbreaker.

Yami only shook his head and stared in the mirror. Why wasn't Yugi interested? He was cool, funny, and wasn't ugly! He smirked in the glass a bit. He was far from ugly, and he made it known that he knew everyday. Today's attire was laid back, but still showed off his body. His dark gray pants were tight and low-waist, hugging him in just the right places. His top was a black tank, covered by his favorite cropped leather jacket. Like always, he looked good.

"I can't believe you! I thought you liked him."

Yami turned away from his locker. Yugi was coming down the hallway with Ryou, who was looking upset today. Yami had told himself that he would be giving Ryou a talk the next time he saw him, but even he couldn't kick the kid when he was down.

As the two walked past, Yugi caught his eye and smiled a bit. "Hey Yami."

Yami only stared before turning back to his locker. Behind him, Yugi sighed. "He's still mad at me."

Yami almost laughed out loud. Did Yugi really think he could turn him down and expect Yami to be okay? Yami had every right to be upset. You just didn't turn down one the hottest guys in the school with no good reason.

Ryou snorted. "I would be too if you led me on."

Yami paused. He hadn't thought about Yugi leading him on, but now that the idea was in his head, what else could it be? This had never happened before. But him letting his principles fly out the window for one kid had never happened either. He allowed a freshman to use him. Letting his usual pout set on his face, Yami slammed his locker shut and strutted angrily down the hallway. If he was going to be upset for another day, he had to look nice doing it.

* * *

"And then I kind of ran off."

Yugi gaped at him. They both knew Ryou had relationship 101 issues, but it was never this bad. "You should have kissed him back, Ryou. Now he's going to think you don't like him. Have you even talked to him?"

Ryou avoided his eyes.

Yugi smacked himself in the head. "Really, Ryou? You can't keep avoiding him. You know how persistent Bakura is. Besides, you two would be good for each other."

Ryou looked down at his friend, not believing what he was hearing. "The pot is totally calling the kettle black. What about you and Yami? It's no secret the senior has a thing for you. And you like him too."

Yugi hooked his pinkies together and tugged, a nervous habit Ryou recognized. "I mean, I do like him, but..."

"But..." Ryou gently prompted him.

"He's one of those players girls are always whining about. You don't notice it at first, but he's cocky and selfish. I don't want to date a guy like that."

Ryou's eyebrow lifted. "I don't know Yugi. He's been after you since school started. That's got to count for something."

Yugi shook his head and fixed his eyes on the floor. "I doubt it. Besides, he's a senior. He'll be going to college. Yami won't want to keep dating someone in high school, especially one so young. Long distance relationships almost never work."

"So why don't you just tell him that instead of blowing him off completely?"

Yugi dropped his head. "Because, knowing Yami, he'll be very persistent anyway and I'll eventually give in, and it won't end happily." Yugi looked up. "And look, he's at his locker." Ryou snickered and Yugi blushed at the look Ryou was giving him. "Whatever Ryou. So why did you turn down Bakura?"

It was Ryou's turn to be a little nervous. He honestly felt bad for what he did. "I only agreed to the bet with him because I thought it would never work."

Yugi's jaw dropped. "I can't believe you! I thought you liked him."

The two were passing Yami now, who turned around at the sudden outburst. He glanced at Ryou, frowned, and then looked at Yugi. The small boy smiled. "Hey Yami."

The older boy didn't respond, only turned back to his locker to finish what he was doing. Yugi sighed. "He's still mad at me."

Ryou snorted. "I would be too if you led me on."

Yugi punched his friend in the arm. "Now who's calling the kettle black? At least I did what I did for real reasons. You let Bakura think he had a chance."

"I didn't finish!" Ryou pouted and rubbed the sore spot on his arm. He bit his lip. "I didn't think it would work because, well, Bakura is...Bakura. He's evil and perverted._"_

Yugi snorted. "Like that's really a bad thing. And besides, he's not like that guy Jounouchi. I heard he gets around. Bakura's penis is clean compared to his."

Ryou blushed. Yugi shot him an odd look, and then grinned. "You've seen his goods haven't you!"

"It was accident! I hang out there a lot now. He was getting dressed, and I kind of barged in, and yea."

Yugi began hopping up and down, his hair moving with him. "And you've been to his house? Who knew you'd be so kinky."

By now, other freshmen in the hallway were looking at them. Ryou flashed a pretty smile and grabbed Yugi's arm, dragging him down the hall. He didn't stop until they reached where the hallways met, the point they usually split up at. He let go of Yugi's arm and gave him a hopeless look. "I didn't mean to do that to Bakura. And I didn't think he would get so attached. But I guess spending so much time together did the opposite."

Yugi rolled his eyes. "No duh, Ryou. Even I know that." His soft looked turned into a frown. "So you don't like him?" When Ryou shook his head, his frown intensified. "Well you need to tell him."

"No!" Ryou screamed in horror. His big eyes only got bigger. "Do you know what he'll do to me? He'll stick a broom up my ass!"

Yugi shrugged and began walking down a different corridor. "Well you better start liking him. And if you don't tell him, I will." With that, the tri-colored midget turned and trotted off.

Ryou's mouth dropped, and then he started jumping in place. "That's not fair Yugi! Even if he doesn't bother you, he'll still stick the broom up your ass too!"

Even though it was still early, there were still a good number of people to get embarrassed in front of. And Ryou was definitely embarrassed. He stopped hopping and composed himself, intending to walk through the crowd with imaginary dignity. However, a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned around and almost died.

It was Ms. John, the guidance counselor. Not just any guidance counselor, _his _guidance counselor_. _

During freshman orientation, the school forced him under her wing due to an incident with no other than Bakura. It ended with Ryou being unofficially diagnosed with severe multiple personality disorder and ADHD. Since then she's felt the need to pull him into her office when she thought he was having a problem.

Ms. John gave him a once over and clicked her tounge. "Ryou, I've told you a million times. If you feel yourself getting out of control, come see me and we can take care of the problem quickly."

"But there's nothing wrong!" His voice raised an octave. "I was just having a moment."

"And we know what these moments lead to."

"No!" He tried to step back, but her grip was firm. "I swear I'm fine."

Ms. John started pulling him down the hall to her office anyway. "Don't be afraid to talk about it Ryou. So, are you sure you want inanimate objects up your orifice, or has someone tricked you into believing you want this?"

Ryou could cry.

* * *

Regular people were quite interesting. Especially high school students. Usually watching them freak out was enough for entertainment. Today, Kile was bored.

He watched the white-haired freshman get dragged down the hall and scowled. He was cute, Kile had to give him that. But nothing else was remotely attractive about the boy. Nothing that he wanted to see. Why did Bakura like him again?

That other freshman was much more intriguing. He could see why Yami picked him. The kid had spunk, and the same crazy hair style. Kile thought about working with them first, but decided to get a glimpse at everyone else.

Luckily no one could see him. Bakura told him to stay away during school hours, but Kile couldn't help himself. He liked being around the boy, not to mention eager to see what he was working with. Knowing he just couldn't stroll around the school, only because no one would know how to handle him and not because he would be out of place, he used his invisibility spell.

Kile strolled down the hall, politely bumping into the students. Just as he was wondering who his next victim was going to be, he saw two boys ahead glaring at one another. One was very tall with brown hair cut into a short style. His arms were crossed and his posture straight and rigid, and confidence rolling off in waves. The other boy on the opposite side of the hall was considerably shorter, but still taller than Kile. His blonde hair was a bit messy and falling into his face. He was leaning on the lockers casually, but his face was twisted into an angry scowl.

Kile stopped just short of the two. They weren't saying anything, but the passing people were.

_"I thought Jounouchi had a thing for Kaiba."_

_"You know how he is."_

_"Kaiba-kun actually cares? Who knew..."_

_"I heard Kaiba was Jounouchi's latest hit- took his virginity and everything. No wonder he looks upset."_

Ah. Katsuya and Seto. Kile looked between the two, and then moved on. Nothing more than a silly one-night stand. But he'd have to figure out how to fix that.

It wasn't long before he found the last of Bakura's friends. Anzu? She was at her locker, scrolling through one of those mobile devices, reading something. Kile stood next to her and peered at the screen._ "Please talk to me. I know your mad, but it was out of good intentions. I'm not sorry."_

Kile's eyes shot up. Bold kid. He looked at the name of the sender. _Ryuji. _Had Bakura mentioned him? That definitely wasn't the boyfriend he heard about.

The message disappeared, and the girl slammed her locker shut. Kile saw for the first time that she was holding in tears. She stalked down the hallway, and Kile couldn't help but notice how weird her walk was.

* * *

Katsuya strolled down the hallway, whistling and swinging his arms. He was having a good day.

He'd gotten a cute sophomore boy's number, one Katsuya knew that had been watching him for a while. He definitely would be utilizing that number.

He turned in all his homework today, surprising himself and Anzu to the fullest. When did Katsuya ever do homework?

And best of all, he hadn't seen Seto since this morning.

His fist twitched. Seto. The two weren't on talking terms, not since what happened the night of the Christmas party. Except for heated arguments that seemed to happen more often now.

Katsuya knew Seto was a jerk, and thought he was prepared to handle him. It's not like he didn't have a temper as well. But Seto accused Katsuya of using him, and that hurt. Normally the blond wouldn't care; he did use others for sexual exploits, nothing more. There were only few who he decided to keep around for a while. But this was Seto, and Katsuya would never do that to him.

Seto didn't believe it though, and Katsuya wasn't going to attempt to make him. He wasn't going to chase something that was going to eventually leave anyway.

Movements farther down the hallway distracted him from his thoughts. It was Yami and Bakura standing in front of the science labs. But what were they-Oh God.

Bakura had a long pole and was thrusting it upwards. Yami was slowly drawing his finger across his neck, miming the motion of a throat being slit.

No wonder they changed the meeting place for today.

Katsuya jogged over to them and peeked in the window. Yugi and Ryou were working on some experiment, but they kept glancing at the window. Ryou looked terrified. The blond sighed. "You two are ridiculous."

Bakura growled. "No, they're ridiculous. How can you ignore me-"

"Yugi fucking led me on-"

"And not give a damn explanation?"

"And I damn sure don't appreciate it-"

"He's lucky I don't go in there and-"

"I'm too gorgeous for this-"

"And then twist that broom until he's-"

"He must not know I can have whoever I want-"

"STOP!"

They jumped. Katsuya rarely raised his voice, and when he did, it was serious. They stopped talking, but they glared at him. "I understand you guys are mad, but threatening them isn't going to make it better. What if they charge you?"

Bakura scoffed. "They wouldn't dare. Not if they don't want me to beat their asses up and down the block."

As much as Katsuya would stand to debate with Bakura all day, he was hungry. He placed a hand on each of their shoulders and guided them to the cafeteria. They didn't dare fight back; the two might have been strong, but Katsuya was the best fighter in the group, Seto just under him. "Come on. We can figure out how to get your guys back over some food."

Bakura looked at him. "You seem to have a lot of advice for someone who can't fix his own problems. When's the last time you and Seto talked?"

Katsuya frowned. His hand started twitching again. "Fuck Seto."

Yami laughed. "We know it was good, but seriously, you need to take your advice before helping us. Your in a position worse than ours."

"Man, shut up!" Katsuya shoved Yami forward, making him stumble. "Me and Seto will fix us when we're good and ready. Until then, fuck Seto."

"Fuck you too."

The group turned around. How long had Seto been behind them? Katsuya narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

The tall boy stalked passed them, shoving Katsuya out the way with his shoulder. "It's my lunch period too, dog."

"I told you not to call me that!"

"You told me a lot of things." Seto looked back. "Yami, Bakura, I'll meet you at the table when you aren't entertaining low-class buffoons."

Katsuya was held back until Seto disappeared down the hallway. By the time they made it to the cafeteria and got their food, Katsuya was fuming, Yami was pouting, and Bakura was pushing people down. They took their regular seats at the table, which placed Katsuya in front of Seto, Bakura at the end (where he stuck his foot out) and Yami in the middle, in front of Anzu, who was holding her head in her hands. She seemed to be muttering to herself.

Their peers stared at the table, wondering what could have made the people occupying it more dysfunctional than usual today.

There was a yelp. Followed by more yelps and a strangled scream. Some random chick walking past the table fainted. Katsuya looked up first.

"Damn. Who is that?"

* * *

"Damn. Who is that?"

The rest of the table looked up. Bakura made a strange strangled sound. Anzu's eyes widened. "He's...gorgeous."

Bakura choked on his spit. Yami whistled. "Sorry Yugi. You're out the window."

Bakura's eyes leaked a strange fluid that definitely wasn't tears. Katsuya fixed his hair. Seto snorted. "He's not even that cute."

Bakura violently twitched. Everyone finally noticed him. Yami scooted towards Seto. "What's wrong with you?"

"Don't come over here!" Seto used his foot to push Yami back over. "I don't want to be infected with whatever he's got."

Bakura's nose started to bleed. Anzu gasped. "He thinks that boy is cute!" She turned and giggled. "And he's coming this way now."

Bakura fell to the floor. This was not happening.

There was silence, and then Anzu's foot started tapping. She was excited. "Hey! I'm Anzu. You can sit with us."

This was _not _happening.

"Don't be thirsty." Pause. "I'm Katsuya. I have an open chair next to me."

"What was that you said about not being thirsty? I'm Seto. You sit next to him, and I'm suing your sorry ass."

"Yami. You're almost as cute as me. Almost."

The boy laughed and came around the table. "I think I'm going to sit here so I can talk with everyone." Was that an accent?

Feet stopped by Bakura's head. Yami nudged his head. "Stop being rude!"

The boy laughed and leaned down. "Hey babe."

* * *

Bakura grabbed Kile by the collar. "What do you think you're doing?"

Kile pushed him away and smoothed out his shirt. "If you must know, I came to see your friends. I needed to know what exactly I was dealing with. And then you politely dragged me out of there by the hair. If you wanted me that much we could have waited until later. I'm always ready."

Kile backed away when Bakura pulled at his own hair. "Kile! I thought you were supposed to stay home. You can't just follow me around school."

"Na ah ah." He wagged his finger in Bakura's face. "I can, if I stay invisible. I've been following your friends all day."

Bakura shuddered. "No wonder my bully sensors were going off. I was being watched by the cupid pervert. You could have at least told me."

Kile shrugged and turned to look in the mirror. "You would've been acting weird if you had known. You know I hate bathroom mirrors?"

"Well I know now!" Bakura groaned. "So what, you're going to follow me the rest of the day?"

"Yup. But you have some work to do." Kile grinned at Bakura through the mirror. "I've picked my first victim."

Bakura almost refused, but Kile gave him a look. The senior sighed. "Only for Ryou."

* * *

"Anzu. Walk home with me?"

Even though it was phrased as a question, it was obvious he wasn't leaving her any room to decline. He watched her pull on her coat and book bag, and the two walked to the entrance of the school. They were leaving out when Otogi passed. He and Anzu made eye contact, and the girl broke it to move to Bakura's other side. He shook his head.

They walked in silence until Anzu poked him gently. "Why did you want to walk today?"

Kile's words echoed through his head. _Be gentle. She isn't stable. You might scare her._

"I need to talk to you."

"About?"

Bakura looked down at her. Her blue eyes were big with worry. He mentally cursed Kile. Couldn't the cupid boy do this himself? "You and Hisao."

She looked forward. "I don't want to talk about us. I know you don't like him, but he's great, and you just need to take the time to-"

"Does he make you happy?" Yup. Just blurt it out._  
_

She didn't answer right away, something Bakura took notice of. "Well yeah. I wouldn't be with him if he didn't."

"Are you sure?"

She stopped walking. Her blue eyes narrowed. "What are you saying?" She gone on the defensive.

Bakura shrugged. "Just curious. You haven't been smiling as much lately. If he needs his ass handed to him, then I'm ready." She smiled a bit and they started walking again. Bakura continued on. "You know, I noticed you and Otogi are close now."

She visibly brightened up. "Ryuji?" First name basis? "Yeah. Since the Christmas party, he's been really nice." She bit her lip and peered up at him. It was like she was telling a big a secret. "We text all the time. He's much more interesting than Akio, that's for sure."

He could go along with that. Bakura smirked. "So, is there any chance of you two hooking up? I really, really don't like that other guy your dating."

Anzu sighed, and that spark disappeared. "No. I'm with Akio. And you know how I feel about him." The way she said it made him pause.

"You didn't sound happy just then. However, when Otogi's, or Ryuji's, name came up, you were a typical girl. Why not get with him."

She shook her head. "It's not that simple."

"Why not?"

Anzu shrugged.

"That's not an answer."

Anzu stopped. Bakura turned to face her. "What do you want me to do? It's not like I can break up with Akio."

"No one said-"

Anzu went on. "But you _did. _And you don't know anything. Not a damn thing." She let out a shaky breath. "Don't meddle in things you don't understand, Bakura. Especially when you can't even get your relationship with Ryou together." She turned and started walking. "I have to go. See you tomorrow."

Bakura watched her retreating form, picking up on how different her walked looked today.

He hadn't been expecting that outburst. Kile told him that Anzu would probably get upset, though he didn't tell him why, and Bakura had prepared himself for tears. Now she was angry with him.

He definitely needed to talk to Kile.

* * *

_A/N: Bakura is such a whiner. Just fix everything and get over it! Gosh._

_I'll probably be editing this chapter more though. Stay tuned!_

_Reviews = Love. _


	3. Bruises

_A/N: I would've post these chapters sooner, but my computer crashed and I lost everything. I had to re-do everything, and I'm still working on other chapters. _

_It's still feburary, so I'm going to do my best to finish this by the 29th. Sorry guys!_

_Curtains!_

_Chapter 3 - Bruises_

* * *

Bakura trudged through the snow, doing his best to ignore the invisible presence of his Cupid. The constant brushes to his hands and legs made it hard to focus though. One particular brush close to the groin area made the senior finally snap.

"Cut that shit out! Are you trying to give me a boner?"

The black haired boy finally appeared, his wicked grin plastered on his face usual. "I don't have to try. The sight of me sets you off."

"Whatever."

Kile whined. "You only deny it because of that freshman. What's so special about him anyway? I'm sure I'll make a much better partner than he can."

Bakura rolled his eyes. "Not happening. Never happening. Get that through your sick mind."

"But your boner's still there." Kile sighed. "When you stop being stubborn, I can fix that for you. Until then, I guess we'll work on a different plan for Anzu. Today, I want you to talk to Yami."

"So we're just stopping with Anzu?"

Kile shook his head. "No. But I'm sure she isn't willing to talk to you after what happened yesterday."

Bakura threw his hands in the air. "I told you, I didn't know she was going to go crazy and spazz!"

Kile waved him off. "Yeah, yeah. Your friends are ahead. Looks like something is happening."

He looked up. Sure enough, everyone was waiting by the school gates. Yami was holding Katsuya's wrists, Seto was making some smart remark, and Anzu was by the trees, watching everything with a bored expression.

"I'll be here." With that, Kile vanished again, the only sign of him being low breathing Bakura easily picked up on. He felt something hot on his neck and shuddered. The front of his pants tightened. He was killing Kile when they got home.

As Bakura neared the group, he was able to hear what was going on. "I swear, when he lets me go, I'm fucking you up."

"Like you haven't already?"

Yami and Anzu noticed Bakura, but Yami was the only one to acknowledge him. The smaller boy smiled. "About time you got here. They've been fighting all morning."

Katsuya noticed him then. He whipped around, ripping his wrists from Yami's grip. "It's Kaiba's fault. If he wasn't such an asshole, maybe we could get along."

Seto snorted. "Only when the dog learns how to treat humans."

"What would you know about that Kaiba? You don't know shit about being nice."

Something sparked in Seto's eyes. "I know better than to do anyone like you did me."

Awkward silence followed. Katsuya falted. "Kaiba, what-"

Seto held up a hand. "I don't want to hear it, Jounouchi. You've made it clear to me that you have no intentions of pursuing a real relationship. Thanks for nothing."

If Bakura wasn't surprised before, he certainly was before. He had never heard Seto sound so helpless before. As he watched the teen walk away, he realized he had never seen his friend off his game. He was always focused, always confident, always did what he needed to do. Nothing phased him. Except for Katsuya.

Bakura looked at the blonde. He looked broken as well. Everyone had experience with Katsuya's ever changing moods, but they never had to do much as far as providing help or advice went. He was a pretty private person and handled things on his own. Now it was clear that he didn't know what to do in this particular situation.

It was Anzu who finally said something. "Katsuya, go after him."

"He won't listen to me."

Bakura gave him a small push. Katsuya stood there a moment longer before he started walking. It turned into a slow jog and he disappeared into the building after Seto. Yami whistled. "Anzu, what made you think that was a good idea?"

She shrugged. " You know Katsuya gets around. He won't fully understand why Seto is so angry until they talk. "

Bakura snorted. "I think they're going to need more than talking."

Anzu only looked at him. The look she was giving him made him back up. He probably shouldn't have said anything. Finally, she turned her look on Yami. "I'll see you later."

Without another glance in Bakura's direction, she left. Yami frowned. "What's up with you two?"

Bakura shrugged. "I asked about her and Hisao yesterday and she completely flipped."

"This is exactly why I'm single. Relationships come with too many problems."

Bakura thought about what he should say next. He could possibly drag Yami into the conversation with his own words. "Are you sure that's why you're single?"

Yami's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Yami, admit it. We've been-"

Yami covered his ears. "Do not finish that sentence."

"-dumped."

Bakura smirked at the dumbfounded expression on his friend's face, but then faltered when he saw Yami's face fall. Shit. Yami looked up at him. "We didn't make it far enough to get dumped."

"It's okay-"

Yami continued. "I don't understand what happened. I've been told I'm one of the most wanted males here. People say they would kill to get a date with me. But I give Yugi the opportunity without having to work for it and he doesn't want me."

"You're being dramatic."

Bakura was sure Yami would have burned him to the ground if he had the ability. "Bakura, I've been _rejected. _That never happens, not to me. If anyone finds out about this, it would kill my reputation. I wouldn't be the guy who could get anyone anymore."

Bakura frowned. Breath tickled his ear. _"Calm him, and keep him talking about Yugi. He'll probably come to a solution on his own."_

Yeah. Right. "Arrogant bastard."

The smaller teen lifted an eyebrow. "What?"

"I've known you to be an over confident ass, but not like this. Since when does your status mean so much to you?"

He blinked. "You wouldn't understand."

Bakura sighed dramatically. "Try me. Why is my best friend such an over dramatic male diva?"

Yami's eyes flashed. "Why do you have to be such an ass? Maybe that's why Ryou doesn't want you. You don't care about anyone's feelings. He got out early, before you messed him up."

"And Yugi can't deal with high maintence idiots."

Yami rolled his eyes. "Fuck you." He turned on his heels and walked away, leaving Bakura in shock.

Bakura blinked. Did he just have a fight with his best friend? They had disagreements of course, but never to the point Yami had to do his walk away bit. The boy sighed. He'd messed up again.

* * *

"Kaiba! Wait!"

The brown haired teen looked back, but kept going. Katsuya growled and picked up the pace. No way was he letting Kaiba get away this time. It was about time they talked. Thankfully, it was early so the hallways were still clear and he was able to catch up to Kaiba easily. He always had been faster.

Katsuya caught Kaiba's wrist and tugged, only having to swing to the left to avoid a hit to the face. He frowned. "What was that for?"

"I want you to let me go."

Katsuya shook his head. "We really need to talk."

Kaiba tried to pull away, steadily growing frustrated. "Dog, I'm warning you."

He wasn't going to listen. Not without force. Katsuya pushed him back into a locker and held him. "What's your problem with me?"

Kaiba stopped and finally looked him in the eyes. "How can you even ask that?"

"I really don't know what I did. One night, we're in bed together and the next day, you're gone and not talking to me."

His blue eyes narrowed and kicked Katsuya away. The blonde backed up, not sure what was going to happen next. "You never cared in the first place. I have nothing to say to you."

Katsuya resisted the urge to deck him. "Is it about what you said before? Kaiba, you know I don't do relationships. You knew that when you took me home that night. They aren't for me."

"So I was nothing more than another score for you. Congradulations on being the one to get me into bed." Kaiba turned on his heel and walked away.

Katsuya watched him, and felt a familiar pang of lonliness. It everything and nothing like the day he watched his father walk away from him. This time, it was completely his fault.

* * *

Anzu lifted her blouse a bit and tilted her hip into the sun light. The mark had darkened from the lighter shade of purple it was yesterday. She touched her finger to it lightly. The feeling was uncomfortable. It would be a while before this one healed.

"A new one, eh?"

She dropped her shirt and turned away from the window. Otogi was sporting a knowing look. She glared at him. "Mind your business." She looked away. "It's nothing anyway."

"May I see then?" She shook her head. "Your face too?"

Her eyes widened. "What?"

Otogi fingered the end of his eyebrow. "I know what your cover up looks like."

Anzu swiped her fingers through her bang. It fell over her own eyebrow. "You know everything, huh?"

If he caught the sarcasm, he ignored it. "There's never been one so close to your eye."

"Mind _your _business!" She hissed at him. When would he get it? When he got her into serious trouble?

Otogi startle her when he moved closer and leaned down. He pressed a quick peck to her lips and pulled away. "What was that?" She looked up and down the hallway, sighing when she saw that they were completely alone.

"I miss this. I miss you." Otogi gently pushed her back to the wall. He kept one hand between her breasts, holding her in place, and let other slide down between her legs. He played with the folds of her skirt, but kept his hand away from her touching her completely.

Anzu blushed. The last time they'd been together like this was sometime over the break. They were alone at her house, not in public where they could get caught. Still, she wasn't resisting.

Otogi dipped his head again and she met him halfway. God. She missed this too. It was wrong - she had a boyfriend - but kisses with Akio were far from pleasurable. They were forced, and the things he had her to do afterward left her dirty and used. Otogi was different. She never tired of him. He was gentle and sweet.

Otogi broke the kiss off and rested his forehead on hers. "You need to tell someone."

Just like that, the sweet moment was over. Anzu pushed him away and fixed her clothes. "We're not having this conversation again."

He frowned. "How do you expect me to keep this quiet? He's hurting you!"

"The same way you've been doing!" She took a step back, holding up her hand when he tried to move with her. "If you tell anyone, this, whatever this is, will end."

"Anzu!"

She shook her head. "I can handle this on my own. I don't need anyone's help or sympathy."

"Fine. Keep getting yourself hurt." He pointed to her eye. "One of these days, it's not going to end with bruises."

He turned and left, not looking back once. Anzu blinked back tears. She hated making him mad, but she couldn't tell anyone about Akio. He told her he'd do worse if she did. She couldn't handle worse.

"Anzu, are you alright?"

She looked over her shoulder. It was one of her more tolerable classmates, Miho, one she actually looked forward to seeing everyday. The girl jogged up to her, concern lining her features. "Why are you just standing here?"

Anzu shrugged. "Just thinking. Best time when the hallways are quiet."

Miho didn't look convinced. "Are you sure? You haven't looked your best lately."

Anzu set her shoulders back and grinned. "I'm fine. You shouldn't worry so much. Really, it should be me asking you if you're okay. What happened in third period?"

Miho grimaced. "It's a long story."

"We've got time."

Anzu let Miho take her wrist and guide her down the hall. "Well, if you insist." She paused and looked up. "I like what you did to your bang, by the way. It looks nice falling over your eye like that."

* * *

A/N: Next chapter will be up soon, guys! I promise.


	4. Oops, I Did It Again (The Truth)

_A/N: Trying to replace and upload these chapters before the month is up is totally putting a strain on me. But, it's my fault. Procrastion, and a stupid computer, equal my middle name._

_And writer's block. Never forget the writer's block._

_Do you all know the song Oops, I Did It Again? Listen if you don't. Ryou and Yugi aren't players, but I was listening while I was editing the chapter and it seemed to fit so well. I added some lines from the song, more the dramatic than anything. =D_

_I also added the time of day so no one gets confused. We're on Wednesday, the third day back after their break._

_I don't own anything except the plot!_

_Curtains!_

Chapter 4 - Oops, I Did It Again (The Truth)

* * *

_Wednesday - Yami's Study Hall_

_"I made you believe we're more than just friends."_

A diva was a prima donna. A prima donna was someone who was temperamental and expected privileged treatment, so says dictionary dot-com.

Yami was not temperamental, just moody at times.

He didn't expect privileged treatment. It was given to him, giving him fair reason to be high maintenance.

When things weren't going his way, of course he'd be upset. Anyone would be.

So what was Bakura's problem?

He smacked himself in the head, more for dramatic purposes than trying to clear his head. He didn't understand how the fight happened. He and Bakura never argued. Yami was either too smart for Bakura to get a win over, or Bakura scared the smaller boy into losing.

This time, Bakura had stepped over the line. He had no right calling Yami out like that. What if someone had heard them? They'd know what really happened with him and Yugi.

Yugi! It was his fault. If he hadn't done Yami so wrong, then Bakura wouldn't be upset with him. Now he had to figure out how to resolve things Bakura because of Yugi's stupidity.

He had one thing more important to do first - find out why Yugi used him. The only reason that came to mind was his popularity. The freshman, being new and stupid, wanted to be apart of the 'in' crowd. The thing was, Yami didn't consider himself apart of that. He always did his own thing. He was his own person. Being apart of a group of false individuals was not his thing. His friends were the realist people he knew, and they were the ones he put his complete trust in. Everyone was else was just there, and he treated them so.

Yugi seemed different from the rest. Then again, isn't that how these things went anyway? Unfortunately, Yami had to learn the hard way. He wouldn't let it happen again. That was a promise.

* * *

_Sixth- Yugi & Ryou's Science/Everyone's Lunch_

_"Oops!...I did it again.  
I played with your heart, got lost in the game."_

Ryou could run now, or stay to talk to Bakura. Whatever option he picked, they'd have consequences.

If he ran, Bakura would follow and certainly make him suffer.

If he stayed, and said the wrong thing, he could still suffer. But the beating might not be as bad.

Alright, then.

"Can you let off me the locker? I won't run this time."

Bakura's eyes flashed, but he released the boy anyway. Ryou straightened his shirt. "What is it you need so badly that you have me pulled from my science class?"

When the older boy didn't respond, Ryou looked up, and was throughly shocked. Bakura wasn't sporting his usual sneer, and he definitely didn't look as tough as he did even when he wasn't. He looked completely lost.

"I want to know why. Why don't want me?"

Oh. He should have seen this coming. "Bakura, I just don't-"

_You let Bakura think he had a chance._

Oh no.

_And if you don't tell him, I will._

Oooh no. It couldn't be happening now. Ryou gulped. Bakura patiently waited for an answer. Darn him and his selective conscious thing. Wouldn't it be wise to have one all the time? Maybe then he wouldn't have made that bet, and he wouldn't be in this situation that was most likely going to end in a beating.

What was that saying? The truth will set you free.

"Bakura, I never actually liked you."

Ryou closed his eyes and braced himself, but the hit never came. He cracked open one eye.

Bakura was staring blankly at him, an unreadale expression on his face. His arms hung limply at his sides. They stood staring at each other like this until Bakura moved his arm. Ryou flinched.

Bakura started laughing.

If the freshman wasn't surprised before, he certainly was now. Had he missed a joke or something? Bakura was supposed to be laying some into him now, getting back at Ryou for messing with his heart. Not laughing. Not that Ryou was really complaining. He'd take his win.

Bakura howled. "Wow, Ryou. Did not see that coming. I was expecting some sort of shitty 'it's not you, it's me' excuse, but I guess it was you."

Though he was laughing, there was a dangerous undertone in his statement. "Bakura?"

He was choking a bit now. "So, what was with the bet? You know, I thought we had an agreement. All the hanging out, getting to know each other bullshit, what was _that_?"

Ryou was scared now. Bakura's tone was rising, and his eyes were wild. Ryou realized laughing was a temporary distraction from the anger Bakura had to be feeling. He swallowed. "I only made the bet with you so you wouldn't hurt me anymore. I didn't think you be able to do it."

"So you were counting on me to lose?"

Ryou nodded, unsure of what to say next.

Tears were rolling down Bakura's cheek now, like he had heard the funniest joke in the world. "Wow. Nice one Ryou. Nice one."

The freshman barely had time to dodge. Bakura lashed out with his right fist, all laughing stopped now. It was pure anger.

Thankfully, he hadn't been aiming for Ryou's face. Bakura's fist bounced off the locker. Ryou didn't have to look to see the indent that was there. He kept his eyes trained on Bakura, waiting for his next action. The senior was chuckling now, the tears leaking slowly now. He looked crazed and angry. His eyes met Ryou's and they held each others gazes until Bakura backed up.

"Bakura?" Ryou looked at the boy's fist, noticing a little spot of blood.

"It's fine Ryou. I'm going to leave you alone."

"What?"

The lost look was back, masking the rest of the bully's emotions. He nodded his head and opened his mouth with a pop. "That's what you wanted right? For me to leave you alone. So now I will. You don't have to worry about me again."

The senior turned and left Ryou at the lockers, mumbling to himself.

"Bakura..."

Ryou watched him until he got to the end of the hallway, where Bakura paused and wiped his face.

He'd been crying the whole time.

* * *

"Bakura! Did you hear?"

Damn. The final bell had only rung a few minutes ago and he already had idiots running up to him.

Still, he acknowledged the voice. It was Anzu's friend, Miho. Before he could respond, she grabbed his hand and began dragging him to the entrance of the school. "Come on."

"Miho, I demand you let me go before I pull down your skirt."

She tugged harder. "No time! Yami and Yugi are going at it!"

He didn't need to hear anymore to follow her willingly. What was Yami doing? _If this has anything to do with that argument..._

The two made it outside soon enough, but had to push through the crowd of nosy bystanders. Bakura remembered the faces of those egging whatever this was on, making a note to pay them special visits tomorrow.

With Miho's girl privelage and Bakura's fiesty elbows, they made it to the front of the crowd and saw what had everyone so excited. Yami and Yugi were literally screaming at each other.

"You were using me the whole time! I actually thought you gave a shit."

Oh yeah. There was the drama queen Bakura knew, foot stomp and all. Should he step in? Yami looked like he was ready to lay one in on the boy.

"I told you that was a misunderstanding. Maybe we'd be getting somewhere if you would start listening asshole!"

A collective sigh went through the crowd. Bakura whistled. No one talked to Ymi like that. Perhaps he didn't need to interfere after all.

Yami moved closer to Yugi. "I don't know why you're so mad, but you need to calm down. You're embarressing us."

Yugi let out a bitter laugh. "Wow Yami. You're unbelievable. I need to go."

Yugi picked his bag off the ground and swung it over his back. Yami grabbed him by the wrist just as he started to walk off. "You're not going anywhere until you hear the rest of what I have to say."

Yugi shook him off. "It can wait, right? Whatever it is really isn't that important."

"What is your problem? I like you, you like me. Why are you being so difficult?" Yugi didn't answer. Yami sighed. "I swear, you're the only one who gives me problems. You should feel lucky I acknowledged you. Everyone else would kill to be you."

Some people around Bakura nodded and whispered their agreements. Bakura frowned. This was what he was talking about earlier. Most of their peers agreeing with the idiot didn't help.

"Do you hear yourself?"

The murmurs paused. The tension grew. Miho gripped Bakura's arm and shook him. Was the freshman challenging Yami?

"Not everyone likes you! You have a stick shoved so far up your ass that you don't see it."

Bakura smirked and leaned against Miho, who was still hopping around in shock. _Alright Yugi. Let's see what you've got._

* * *

"Not everyone likes you! You have a stick shoved so far up your ass you don't see it."

"What?" Yami's heart dropped.

Yugi continued. "People don't respect you. They fear you. If you haven't noticed. You're a horrible person. You treat everyone like shit and they're beneath you, your personality is shitty, and those leather pants you wear are horrible!"

Yami stepped back. No one but Bakura yelled at him like that before. It was like talking to him again. The only difference was that it hurt this time.

He searched Yugi's face for a sign that Yugi didn't really mean what he said. That he was only angry with Yami, and wanted to make him angry too. Unfortunately, Yugi's big purple eyes showed nothing but truth. The boy wasn't a liar.

That was how he really felt about Yami.

An unfamiliar feeling stabbed Yami in the chest.

Yugi shrugged and readjusted his bag on his back. "I don't have time for this."

Yami reached out for him again, but the boy snatched away and walked off. "Fuck you!"

He didn't turn around. Yami watched his disappear into the shocked sea of students. He knew what they were thinking. How did he, supposed king of the school, let an underclassmen best him? Yami didn't know either, but he did know he'd been holding back through the whole argument. He guessed he didn't want to hurt Yugi's feelings. The same couldn't be said about the other.

Yami looked up. Students were leaving now, but some stayed, looking at him with concern. That feeling rolled through him again, and he glared at the remaining people. If what Yugi said was true, they didn't really care.

Amazingly, this upset him more than making him angry. Yami wasn't comfortable with idea of his peers secretly hating him. Most of the school used to adore him. What had changed? He squeezed his fists. Now what was he going to do?

"Come on. Let's go home."

A hand touched and squeezed his shoulder before pushing him towards the school gates. Yami relaxed. _Bakura. _At least that was one person he knew would never hate him. They'd been together from babies to now. Many people didn't understand their relationship, with Yami being younger and the two constantly fighting. It worked for them, and that's what matter. This comforted Yami a great deal.

"Let's go Yami! I'm ready to get out this snow. We can feel shitty together at home."

Yami offered his friend a weak smile. "Yeah, yeah."

As they walked, laughter caught Yami's attention and he turned to look. Going the opposite way behind them, Yugi and Ryou were walking together, Ryou obviously amused at something Yugi just said. Yami frowned and turned forward.

Yugi's words continued to echo through his head.

_"Got lost in this game, oh baby."_

* * *

_A/N: Sniff, sniff. Bakura and Yami definitely didn't deserve that. But it's all good! They don't need Ryou and Yugi. They have each other._

_Next chapter will be focused on Anzu and Seto. Be prepared!_


	5. Jar of Hearts

_A/N: I apologize for this chapter taking so long, but I couldn't figure out how to end it!_

_So more into Anzu and Seto's issues in this chapter. They seem out of character, but it works for the plots I've set for them._

_Alright. On to the story._

_Curtains!_

Chapter 4: Jar Of Hearts (Anzu and Seto's Melancholy)

* * *

_Earlier - Third Period - History (Elective)_

"If there was anyone in the world not to mess with, it was the Russians..."

_No, teacher. Incorrect._

If there was anyone in the world not to mess with, it would be Seto Kaiba.

Seto Kaiba was a dangerous, sneaky, and angry man. Teenager.

He hated everyone, except his brother Mokuba. And perhaps tolerated those idiots he called his friends.

He had no time for stupidity, irrelevance, and anything else he put in those categories.

So why was he worked up over Jounouchi Katsuya?

The teacher looked at him and Seto scribbled something random on the page of his notebook. He sighed. Jounouchi's name. Seto really needed to focus. No one could see he was off his game.

As though things went, it was easier said then done. His over-achieving, intelligent mind was having a hard time comprehending this seemingly simple thing, and it was bugging the shit out of him. Guys like him did not fraternize with dogs like Jounouchi.

There was obviously a glitch somewhere causing him to malfunction and his brain was not picking up on it. He'd be running complete scan at the company before returning home today.

* * *

_Late Wednesday - After School_

"I'm late, I'm late."

Anzu rocked on her heels at the back door of the bus, waiting impatiently for the light to change. It was taking forever for the bus to reach her stop.

Things were funny like that. On a regular day, she wouldn't be worried. But Akio demanded she come over today, and she knew better than to be late. She was more than thirty minutes late though, and he was sure to be angry. Hopefully he would calm down quickly.

Finally, the bus cruised down the block and reached her stop. Out the window, she saw Akio waiting. His hands were deep in his pocket, and he tapping his foot. He was upset. The butterflies in Anzu's stomach picked up.

The bus stopped and she tapped the back door. The doors swing forward and she stepped, her footing a little rockey and nervous. Akio met her halfway, but didn't say a thing until the bus had pulled away. His eyes narrowed.

"You're late."

She fidgeted. "I know. I had work to finish at school. I'm sorry."

He moved closer and she flinched.

"What are you doing?"

Anzu looked down. Akio had his arm outstretched, his hand clearly reaching for hers. She relaxed. He wouldn't hit her, not outside. He knew better than that.

Anzu let Akio take her hand and lead her to his house. He was walking quickly, pulling her roughly along behind him, jerking her when she slowed. She didn't dare complain, not wanting to make him madder than he already was. No doubt she was going to acquire a bruise or two before the day was over, but she supposed it was her fault. She knew better than to be late.

* * *

"Seto, you've been quiet."

Said teen looked up from his desk. Mokuba was in front, leaning casually against it, resting his elbows on the top. "I'm always quiet Mokuba."

"Well, you've been quieter."

Seto sighed. He really wasn't in the mood for this. "What is it Mokuba? I'm busy."

His brother gave him a grim look and reached for the computer screen on the desk, turning it so the screen was open to the both of them. "Busy stalking Jounouchi. Why don't you just talk to him?"

Seto scoffed. "It doesn't work like that."

"Why not? If you want a problem resolved, just talk it out with the other person."

"Not to diss that bullshit your school has unwisely chosen to teach you, but that doesn't work for hormonal teenagers. And as hormonal teenagers, we have to be angry and complicate everything."

Mokuba tilted his head to the side. "That just makes life difficult."

"It's the price we pay. The lesson? Don't grow up too fast. Now please, leave me and my stalking in peace."

Mokuba frowned but turned and headed to the door. Before leaving the room, he turned back to his brother. "Don't let your pride get the best of you. Jou is your best friend. Forget all the teenage stuff and fix whatever is going on."

With that, Mokuba left the room. Seto fell back in his chair and sighed. His brother was so smart and mature for his age, but he didn't understand. Things were complicated with him and Jounouchi now.

Seto frowned and glanced back at the screen. Was he really making this more difficult than this had to be?

Seto shook his head. He refused to let his brother's words affect his decisions. Although Mokuba had some good, random moments of maturity that could be actually taken into consideration, the boy didn't know anything about this. Seto would stick to what he was best at and keep to the background, stalking.

* * *

Something was definitely wrong.

Anzu leaned back against the head board, watching him pace around the room. He was smiling, talking about something that had happened at school today. This was different from the norm. He only smiled in public when he had to be distracted. She'd been hoping they'd go out today, but she wasn't minding staying at his home. He wasn't over the edge.

"Zuzu, you listening?"

She jumped. Akio was standing at the edge of the bed, staring at her. She smiled and waved him off. "Yeah, continue."

He looked a moment more before going on with the story. She made sure to listen this time. Her head was practically spinning now. Anzu hadn't heard that nick name in so long. She hated it of course, but it was something that reminded her of the beginning stages of their relationship, before everything got so complicated. If she could keep him in this rare mood often, then perhaps things would change for the better.

Anzu shook herself. What was she thinking? She'd only been here an hour. Couple didn't just get over their rough patches in the blink of an eye. Those things took time. She refused to get her hopes up.

* * *

It was probably one of those annoying adolescent phases. According to scientific studies, the phases begin early and people go through different ones through-out life. Of course, there was always the rebellious stage. This must be his. There was no other suitable explanation. The dog was the perfect candidate for an experience outside of his comfort zone. Jounouchi was rough, lived a hard life, and had horrible tendacies. The exact opposite of Seto. Perfect, powerful, intelligent Seto.

He frowned, looking over the notes he'd collected on Jounouchi. The boy had been in more trouble than the average teen, and he recalled the blonde being gang affiliated at one time. Seto put a stop to that as soon as he found out. How would it look for him to associate with a gang member? Besides, the results turned out to be in both their favors. Seto kept his reputation in tact, and Jounouchi lived peacefully. Well, as peacefully as someone like him could get.

Seto leaned back in his chair. Reputations should have kept him out of this mess. He knew Jounouchi like the back of his hand. He knew from the day he met the boy.

Seto smiled a little. Yami had been pissed when the boy had come into the school. They had been sophomores then, but Yami already had reign over the school and had no intentions on losing it to some freshman. He hadn't need to worry though. The two were popular for different reasons and ranked highly in their respective categories.

It was no secret that Jounouchi was flirty and promiscuous. He didn't hide it, nor did he try to. He didn't keep anyone around except his one friend Anzu. The two were joined at the hip.

He remembered the day he found Anzu and Jounouchi at his table. Seto didn't think much of it, but Yami had a cow.

_"What. Is. That?"_

_Seto looked up from his phone at Yami's insistence. Their table contained two new occupants. Seto recognized them immediately. "It's that freshman and his friend. What are they doing in here?"_

_Bakura growled. "More importantly, why are they on my side of the table? No one sits on my damn side of the table!"_

_Bakura and Yami nodded at each other and stormed to the table. Seto sighed. He was embarrassed at what idiots his cousin and his best friend could be. This would not end well. When Yami and Bakura were fired up, there was no stopping them. But it was also known that the two freshman had quite the tempers too._

_Seto arrived at the table moments later and almost laughed. The two idiots were yelling, but the freshmen did not seem phased at all. The girl was focused on her phone, making weird faces everytime she tapped a button. The boy was looking away, more interested in the lunchroom chaos than his friends._

_Seto moved around the two and set his tray down. The girl looked up, her eyes widening. Than she smiled and tapped her friend. "Jounouchi! He's here."_

_The boy , Jounouchi, turned his head, meeting Seto's gaze. The sophomore had seen the freshman before, but never up close. He could see why he was able to gain the reputation he did. His face, though young, already had the beginnings of what would turn into amazingly handsome. His hair was dark blonde and was wild over his head. His eyes, in Seto's opinion, had to be the most captivating things on the boy. They were small and round, and were brown._

_Seto always had a thing for brown._

_He sat down. "You were looking for me?"_

_Yami and Bakura quieted down. Jounouchi smiled and placed an arm on the table, leaning his head in his chin. "I was actually."_

_Something in Seto's stomach turned. He refused to let his curiosity get the better of his emotions. Otherwise, the freshman might think he had Seto easy._

_"Well, spit it out then. I don't have all day to eat."_

_The two glanced at each other quickly, obviously surprised by the change in tone. Seto suppressed the urge to smile. Good. They were wary of him, as they should be._

_However, wariness must only go so far for them. The brunette stuck her ear phones in her ears and put out a sack lunch. Jounouchi moved to the other side of the table to sit next to Seto. He frowned. No stranger ever sat this close to him._

_Jounouchi must have noted his discomfort and scooted closer. His eyes lowered to Seto's lips. "I'm Jounouchi Katsuya."_

* * *

It was a good idea not to get her hopes up. As his fists pounded into her side, she praised herself in being smart. The good moments never lasted.

"Look at me when I'm fucking talking to you!"

Akio tangled his hand in her hair and gripped the roots, turning her onto her back. She met his gaze and whimpered. Before she could stop it, a tear leaked out of her eye and trailed down to her ear. He used the back of his free hand to smack her, the force of his knuckles slamming her head to the side.

His hand came again, this time a fist. She cried out on impact, and he tugged at her hair again. Her cries turned into shrieks as he continued to pound into her. There was a sharp crack, and Anzu almost panicked at the thought of a broken nose. How would she explain that to her mom?

Akio must have heard the crack as well. The pounding stopped and he released the grip he had on her hair. "Fuck. Stay here."

Like she was going anywhere. She wanted to say something, but that's what set him off in the first place.

Akio moved from over her and backed off the bed. Only when he left the room did she look at what made him stop, and almost choked on her spit. Blood soaked the pillow and the cover under her. A tuft of brown hair completely immersed in the blood and other loose stands strayed over the bottom of the pillow and bed. Her nose was still dripping heavily. She closed her eyes and laid her head back on the pillow. As much as she wanted to remove herself from the mess, Akio had specifically said for her to stay put, and she would.

It had never made it to this point. On good days, Anzu would only leave in pain. She left with bruises and scrapes on the bad days. She laughed bitterly, noting that the two now had their worst days.

Anzu wasn't going home tonight. Even if her nose wasn't broken, it was definitely swollen. Her parents would ask questions that she couldn't provide the answers to. It would get Akio in trouble, and that's the last thing she wanted. She loved him too much to put him in a position like that. Besides, this was the first time it had ever gotten to this point. She was sure that it wouldn't come here again. She would have to learn to not argue with him.

A throbbing sensation started in her nose and traveled to her forehead. She groaned. There was the pain.

Pain. Anzu recalled a time when they just started dating and they were discussing what they liked, and one of the first things to come out of Akio's mouth was pain. She hadn't understood what he meant back then, and he didn't offer any explanations, blowing it off as something they would come to later. It wasn't until a few months into the relationship that he brought it up again.

The beatings started then. At first she hated it. Anzu never allowed anyone to take advantage of her. Soon, she realized it was a turn on for him and accepted it. The beatings only got worse as time went on. Who was she denying him something that obviously pleasured them.

Anzu wasn't so sure when he started hitting her as a form of correction. She didn't fight it. She deserved the hitting for pissing him off.

Still, had she let it go too far?

"Lift up your head."

Anzu started and looked up. Akio was back and was holding a damp towel out. She sat up and kneeled down next to the bed, gently pressing the towel on her nose. He looked at the blood on the bed and cringed. "I'm sorry Anzu. I didn't realize I was hitting you so hard."

She groaned. She couldn't focus enough to give a proper response. He sighed. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you babe. It's not good to argue with me. Maybe if you would listen sometime, this wouldn't happen."

Anzu narrowed her eyes and pushed his hand away. "Maybe you didn't have to hit me at all. What am I supposed to do about my nose now?"

He frowned. "We're not going to talk about this. Arguing got you here in the first place."

Surprisingly, Anzu felt herself slowly getting pissed. She snatched the towel from him and placed it back on her nose. It was already turning a bright shade of red.

"You aren't mad at me, are you?" She wasn't sure if she should answer that. "I'm really sorry babe. I am. And you know how I am. I just lost control."

She turned away. Anzu knew she was testing his limits, but she didn't care at the moment.

"Fine." The bed shifted as he used it to help him stand. "Be upset."

Without warning, he began snatching the covers from under her. Anzu removed herself from the bed and retreated to the corner of the room. He didn't look at her as he got rid of the covers and pillows, or when he took them out of the room.

Anzu removed the towel. Good. Her nose stopped bleeding.

She was getting out of there soon. She didn't know why she was suddenly so upset, but she had to leave before things got worse.

* * *

"What the hell are you doing in my office?"

The intruder stood on the other side of the desk, obviously uncomfortable. Good. "Mokuba called me."

Dammit. Seto made a note to thoroughly punish his meddling brother later. For now, he had to get this mutt out of his house before something happened. "I'm sure it was a misunderstanding. Please leave before I have security put you out."

The boy frowned. "No need to act so rude, rich boy. Mokuba was just worried about ya."

Seto scoffed. "Worried for what? I've been perfectly okay up here. Now please. The exit it that way."

Seto pointed to the door. Jounouchi raised an eyebrow and sat down in one the chairs. "Nah. I'm good right here. Since there's nothing wrong, why don't we talk about something else?"

The mutt never made things easy. "What?"

"Us."

Mokuba was definitely getting it later. "There is no _us._ Therefore, there is nothing to talk about."

The blonde frowned. "Seto-"

"Shut. Up. If you refuse to leave, then please just sit there and keep your mouth shut."

Seto went back to working at his computer, beating at the keyboard fiercely. Who did the dog think he was barging in here, demanding they talk? They had nothing to say to each other. Jounouchi made it clear that Seto was nothing more to him than a good fuck.

He wouldn't admit it, but that hurt Seto more than anyone knew. It was no secret that he had feelings for Jounouchi. Shit, his actions weren't subtle. He wasn't sure when it happened, but one day he woke up and, cliche as it was, he realized he had fallen for his best friend. He was a little embarressed. A guy like his pursing a relationship for someone so beneath him? Seto had corrected himself at once. That someone was his best friend, who obviously felt the same way.

But still, _why?_ As much as he liked him, Seto knew better than anyone that getting into a relationship with Jounouchi would not work out. As the kid had told him before, relationships weren't for him. Still, he let himself get caught up in his feelings. Now they weren't even on speaking terms.

It had to be that teenage phase he was going through. Girls always went through that time when they fell for everyone but the person that was right for them. He obviously went through the same thing. If he had known this was going to happen, he would've stopped it. Seto hated being made a fool of.

"I'm sorry."

Seto stopped typing. When had Jounouchi moved in front of his desk. "What?"

"I said, I'm sorry."

Seto scowled. "Why are you apologizing? You got what you've wanted for the past three years."

He flinched. "But I hurt you. And you're my best friend. I should have never let it get that far."

Seto stood up. "Then why did you? If you knew it was going to end up like this, why? You know how I feel about you. You know what that night meant to me. But still, you played me off like another one of your hoes because you can't be in relationships."

Jounouchi huffed. "Ya know, you can't blame all this on me. You've known me for almost three years. You could've stopped us that night too, but you went there with me willingly, already knowin' that it was just a one time thing!"

"I wanted to be the exception."

There. It was out in the open. The Seto Kaiba, with the over-achieving, intelligent mind, the one who had no time for stupidity, irrelevance, and anything else he put in those categories, had just told the love of his high school career that he put faith into something so far out that it seemed almost impossible.

"What?"

This idiot. "Your exception, Katsuya, damn. If it's not obvious, this is a blow to my pride to admit something like this. I was hoping I'd be the one to change your mind. I have no competition, so why couldn't have been me? But I guess I was wrong."

He couldn't look Jounouchi in the face. Not after that declaration. What would he say knowing that Seto took a chance and believed in something that wasn't based on calculations or computer programs?

"Seto, I-"

He held up a hand. "You don't need to say anything."

Jounouchi came around the desk. Even Seto was a full head taller, the blonde showed no fear. "Since your puttin' things out there, I might as well. If there was anyone I'd give myself to, it would be you."

Seto looked down. He seemed sincere. "But?"

Jounouchi looked away. "You know. The whole situation with my father-"

"But I'm not your father! I would never abandon you like he did."

"You say that now, but in the long run, you would. Look at me compared to you. I have nothing, and you have everything. You'll eventually goin' to want someone who can keep up with you, and you'll leave me. I don't want it to ever come to that."

"Get. Out."

Jounouchi stepped back, stunned. "But Kaiba-"

"I said get out! Before I throw you out of here myself."

The blonde hesitated for a moment before all but running out of there. Seto sighed and sank back down in his chair.

He couldn't believe Jounouchi. How dare that mutt compare him to his worthless father? Seto may not be the nicest person, but like Jounouchi's father was something he was not. It should have been obvious by now.

He picked up Jounouchi's paper and tore them in half. All ties with that mutt were ending today. If he honestly thought Seto was going to leave him behind, then why not?

* * *

Anzu tapped the green 'call' button, but quickly ended the call before the line made a connection. The digital photo was replaced by the home screen. She pushed her back into her pocket and looked up. The sky was unusually dark tonight. It was going to rain. She hated the rain.

Anzu left Akio's house an hour ago, but hung out at the bus stop bench instead of going far. It wasn't the best of ideas, but she had to clear her head first. Passerby's and others waiting at that particular bus stop gave her varying looks, many having been pity. She could practically hear what they were thinking and it pissed her off. She didn't need or want anyone's pity. No had spoken to her directly, but Anzu was angry at the thought of outsiders commenting on her well being. They didn't know a thing about what went on in her relationship, so how could they make assumptions?

Akio had been especially brutal today, leaving Anzu in a foul mood with him. She supposed it was her fault. He hadn't punished her for being late, something she was glad for, but she'd picked an argument with him earlier. Akio hated arguing, especially with her. Anzu had to be put back in her place.

Anzu sighed and got up from the bench, deciding to wander down the street. Where would she be staying tonight? Home was out of the question. Akio offered to let her stay for the night, but she quickly turned that down. As much as she loved him, she could only take so much. Her temper was too unstable to handle him, and things would no doubt end in another beating. She briefly considered Miho or Jounouchi, but they would ask too many questions. Privacy was a foreign topic with them.

Anzu was on her last option. She had been determined to leave him on the back burner, but so far, he was the only one she could go to freely. He'd helped her after beatings before, so he wouldn't pester her as much as he usually would. He used to threaten to tell someone, but Anzu managed to change his mind.

Still, these injuries were worse than the others by far. A section of her hair was thinner than the rest due to large amount Akio had pulled out. The area around her eye was swollen and thumping with pain, no doubt turning purple at the moment. Both sides of her face were throbbing, and her nose was also swollen due to being busted. She'd only touched it once to see if it was broken, and that made her swallow tears. She wouldn't be going home until the weekend probably. That was fine. She would tell her parents she was with Miho and they'd be okay. Well, she would once she figured out where'd be telling them this from.

Anzu was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't realize where she was until she ended up on the porch of a very familiar apartment complex. _Fuck. _How could she have ended up here? This was the last place she wanted to be! Anzu turned to leave, but the sky lit up, followed by a loud boom. _Double fuck. _The falling of raindrops moments later cemented her fate. Hiking her backpack up on her shoulders, she faced the hideous doorbell and pressed the top button. A loud _beep _sounded, followed by a male voice. _"Who is it?"_

Much to her despair, she relaxed. "Me."

There was no response, not that she expected one. He knew who it was.

Finally, a body emerged from the inside door and moved to open the outer one. Instead of becoming nervous, a feeling of relief, and confusingly, the overwhelming need to cry, washed over her completely. Otogi looked over her before pulling her in to the hallway into his arms. Usually, the sound of the slamming doors made her jump, but she was too focused on him right now. It had only been a week since he hugged her, but it felt like forever. Hugging Akio never made her feel like it. She was always anxious with him, anticipating his next actions. With Otogi, she knew she was safe.

He rocked her side to side, crushing her face into his shoulder. Once arm was around her waist, the other up her back, his hand caressing her scalp. As much as it hurt, Anzu refused to move.

* * *

_A/N: Yes, I know Kaiba usually has better control of his emotions, but he's dealing with teenage problems now, not the usual company or kidnapped brother things. It makes sense that he's going to act like this. And Anzu seems out of character, but being in an abusive relationship can change things. She's already aware it's wrong, but she's convinced she's in love and won't do anything to stop it. _


	6. Chicken Soup

_**A/N**: Alright! No official note until the end._

_Curtains!_

* * *

_Chapter 6 - Chicken Soup_

_Thursday Morning - In the Park_

"Do you think I actually hurt his feelings? He could have been pretending you know. Yami is like that."

Ryou frown and nodded, scooting away from his friend. Yugi took notice and reached out and swatted his upper arm lightly.

"I thought we decided that I'm not supposed to be thinking about him, remember?"

Ryou's mouth thinned into a tight line. "Yeah. No more thoughts about Yami. Okay?"

Yugi nodded in agreement and resumed his flat position on the grass. He watched the clouds pass by, noting how spiky the tops were. He frowned and sat up.

"Well, he should be able to bounce back right? He's him. He'll bounce back. As a matter of fact, he'll be good as new today."

Ryou hummed in agreement. Yugi scowled. "Ryou!"

His friend shrugged. "Well, you said it.."

"And you're supposed to stop me! Really Ryou, how are we supposed to progress in this relationship if you can't even meet me halfway on the little things?"

Yugi fell back again, ignoring the little huffs of annoyance his friend was sending his way. He knew Ryou was agitated with him. Yugi had been going back and forth with himself since last night about feeling guilty or not. The whole ordeal was a bit much, but Yami needed to get knocked down a few pegs. Maybe Yugi had been a little harsh, but Yami needed to know he was serious. This went on for hours over the phone before Ryou put his foot down. While Yugi was in the presence of his friend, nothing about Yami was to be mentioned. Yugi shook his head and focused on the clouds. The white, poofy, big, spiky clouds...

"Maybe I should go apologize!" He turned on his side to look Ryou in the face. "Should I?"

His friend shifted uncomfortably. "If you feel like you should-"

"AH!" Yugi hopped up and tackled Ryou to the grass. Ryou squeaked, a very unmanly squeak Yugi noted, and attempted to throw the boy off. Yugi held fast, gripping the shoulders of his jacket.

Ryou struggled underneath him. "What is your problem? Get off of me!"

Yugi attempted to shake him. "You're supposed to keep me from thinking about that over confident pompous bastard, but you keep getting me to talk about my worry for him. You aren't Dr. Phil Ryou. Get it together!"

"Get it together? You get it together," Yugi frowned at Ryou's mocking tone. 'You're the one who's stuck up someone's ass."

Yugi's jaw dropped. He sat back. "I can't believe you just said that."

Ryou rolled his eyes and gently pushed Yugi off him. "It's true. You keep saying you don't want to talk about what happened, but all you've been thinking about _is_ what happened." He rolled on his stomach, looking up at his friend.

"I can't help it! I practically embarrassed him in front of the whole school. You know how Yami get's when his ego is shot." He paused, chewing the inside of his cheek. "Maybe I should go apologize. I mean, I didn't mean anything I said."

Ryou narrowed his eyes. "Sure didn't seem like it. And you were spilling reasons about why you two weren't going to work the other day. You were okay with the two of you not talking. Now you actually tell him how you feel and you´re worrying about if you hurt his feelings?"

Yugi broke eye contact, looking any where but him. "It wasn't actually how I felt."

"..."

"You know I like him."

"Ugh!" Ryou brought his fists up to his head. They were shaking in frustration. Yugi took a step back, afraid that Ryou had finally popped his lid. "You are the most confusing person known to man! Seriously!"

Yugi´s eyes widened. "Ryou?" The soft spoken teen had never loosen his cool like this before. Was it something Yugi said?

The boy wasn´t listening to him. He was rolling on the ground, tugging at his now grass covered hair. "One minute you're all like 'Yami, I'm so in love. Yami!' and then you're all like 'We'd never work. He's too old and I'm a prude-'"

"Hey!"

"And now you like him? What's up with that? Yugi, you cannot like someone you have called out in front the whole student body."

Yugi huffed and stood. "You have some nerve. You were always crying when Bakura beat you up, and then you started hanging out with him, hoping he'd lose some stupid bet. Yeah right. Admit it. You have Stockholm syndrome!"

"That only works for people who've been kidnapped, idiot."

"Well, he's kidnapped your heart!"

Ryou grunted, and then tackled Yugi, causing the boy to yelp. The two rolled down the hill they were on, yelling and grabbing at each other. They stopped in a pile of leaves. Yugi kicked Ryou away and crawled backwards. Ryou propped himself on his knees and hands, ready to attack his friend again. They stared at each other before Ryou finally sighed and backed down. He sat back on his feet, frowning. "As hypocritical as I am, we have to fix this."

Yugi shrugged. "But how? We can't even figure out what we want."

Ryou grabbed Yugi's wrists and pulled him into a standing position with him. "That's what the library is for. The girls in home room go there all the time for those advice books and stuff. We can go with them so it wouldn't look so weird."

Yugi blanched at the mention of the girls. "We can't do it ourselves? Those girls are crazy, and they're kind of air heads. "

Ryou rolled his eyes and pulled Yugi along with him. "We wouldn't know where to look. If enduring their company for a couple of hours is what it takes to get our love lives in order, then so be it."

Defeated, Yugi allowed Ryou to guide him. He wasn't sure about this. Ryou wasn't the smartest person when it came to relationships, but he was a book worm. He'd find what they need.

* * *

"Bakura! I'm _naked."_

Kile whispered the last part in said teen's ear, and jumped back from the bed to avoid any attacks. Nothing. Not even a kick.

Kile sighed and settled in the bean bag chair he'd insisted be added to his host's room. He'd never seen the teen so down; Bakura was always on the rampage about something.

The cupid frowned. This was that freshman's doing. How could he turn down his host and think it would be okay? Normally Bakura threatened to kick his ass when Kile bothered him in his sleep. Today, not even a gut check. What if Kile really was naked and needed some attention?

Kile studied the still form on the bed. His wings fluttered with irritation. Everyone had to experience their first heart break at some point. But something about seeing Bakura overcome with grief due to the effects of unrequited love was unnerving. He had to be one of the toughest teenagers, as well as person, around. Things like this weren't supposed to keep him down. Now he was reduced to one of the teenage girls after their tantrums and refused to get out of bed. If anything, Bakura was supposed to be angrier than ever and causing everyone else around him grief. Kile normally didn't like his hosts handling their emotions in such a negative manner, but this was a different case.

Looking over Bakura once more, Kile decided that he was going to pay a visit to that freshman. Someone needed to set him straight. But first, he wanted to check on the others. They weren't in good positions themselves either, especially Yami. He'd heard about the way his freshman had done him in front of the school.

Kile shook his head. What were they thinking? From what Kile gathered, Yami could have anyone he wanted, and Bakura didn't have to do so much as give a look and the poor person would be frightened into going out with him. But they chose freshman, the most immature and less experienced of the bunch. Once he set these kids straight, he would have a stern talking with Yami and Bakura.

The cupid stood from the bean bag chair and went back to the bed. He was going to try once more before he left.

Kile gently removed the covers from Bakura's body and almost lost it at the sight before him. Bakura had chosen to sleep damn near naked last night. Even lying on his stomach, Kile could see how well built the teen was from his broad back and thick arms. His boxers were pulled tight across his butt, and his legs were far from imperfect. Kile felt himself hardening, and swore that Bakura was going to give him a good fuck before all this was over.

Before he swept himself up in his fantasy's, Kile reached down and slid a hand down the back of Bakura's boxers. He didn't stir, not even when Kile positioned a finger at his entrance. Bracing himself to run, Kile pushed...

"Kile, what the fuck!?"

Bakura was on him before he could move. The white haired boy flipped them over, Kile now lying on the bed, Bakura positioned over him. While Kile wanted to bring up how familiar this position was, the angry look on Bakura's face made him reconsider. He smiled weakly. "I was just messing with you, is all."

"How many times do I have to fucking tell you not to molest me while I'm sleeping? The only shit that's saving you from me kicking your ass right now is because you tried to help me."

Kile's smiled turned into a grin. "Lighten up Bakura. I was only trying to make you feel better." He paused. "Tried? What do mean?"

"Whatever. Get out of my room." Of course his question was ignored.

Bakura removed himself from over the boy and collapsed on his side, tugging the covers back over him. Kile sighed. Bakura must be hurting more than he thought. He should've received a punch to the face at the least for that move! It was official. That kid was getting a visit from Kile!

* * *

_Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul_. Hm. Yugi never thought he would see the day he'd be reading one of these books. In the middle of a public library, no less. Still, the girls promised it would be a start on solving his Yami issue. He flipped the cover and first pages to the table of contents. _Which section?_

"Yugi, stop stalling!"

Ryou's pale hand reached over and turned the pages, stopping at the first section. Relationships. Yugi gave him a sideways glance. "We aren't in relationships, Ryou." Yugi was aware how the comment sounded, but he couldn't help it. He wasn't able hop on the bandwagon as fast as Ryou could. Perhaps his friend was desperate.

Ryou rolled his eyes. "And I'm supposed to be the relationship handicapped one. We're going to read these stories to get an idea on how to handle your own blooming relationship. Now focus."

Ryou turned his attention to the book, leaving no room for argument. Yugi sighed and began reading as well. He really should have rejected Ryou's offer earlier. He only agreed before school because he relapsed and started to feel bad. The feeling worsened when he realized his peers were still talking about the incident. By the time sixth period rolled around, he decided he would not reduce himself to following a bunch of giggling girls to get help from books, no matter how wrong he was. But, as usual, Ryou worked the magic of his pout on Yugi. His friend noticed that neither Bakura nor Yami had come to school, or any of their friends, and, in an anguished cry, confessed that he'd made Bakura cry the previous day before the whole courtyard incident and was convinced that he'd killed the senior's spirit.

Thus, leading the two in the middle of library reading _Chicken Soup_.

After reading the first couple of entries, Yugi found himself wiping at his eyes. "I don't think this is going to help us. These people are going through real stuff, and we're having petty problems."

Ryou looked up and sniffled,tears trailing his own cheeks. "Agreed. Let's see if we can find something else."

The two stood from the table they were reading at and headed to the girl's table. The group didn't sit too far from them, but were so engrossed in whatever magazine they were flipping through that they didn't notice the boys come up. Ryou tapped the one closest to him, one with dark brown hair, Ayame. She turned and smiled. It faded once she saw how upset the two looked. "Oh my gosh. What happened?"

The other four heads turned to take in the boys' appearance. Ryou slid the book on the table. "We just don't feel that's going to help us. We need helping getting boyfriends, not stories on losing them."

The group gasped and looked at each other. Ayame jumped up and grabbed Ryou by the shoulders. "Why didn't you say so? We can help you with that."

She proceeded to drag him to the back of the library, ignoring his protests. Her friends followed her lead and got ahold of Yugi before he could run and followed the two to the back. Once there, three of the girls surrounding Yugi began rearranging the tables. The girl holding Yugi, Kiko he thought her name was, and Ryou's captor released them and disppeared behind some shelves. When they came back, they had taken off their school jackets and tied them around their necks. Their hair was piled sloppily on their heads, making Ryou gag. He hated messy hair, despite the things his own hair did. Somewhere they'd gotten big goofy glasses and had pulled small notepads and matching glittery pens from their back packs. The two motioned to their friends, who grabbed Ryou and Yugi by the collars and forced them to lie on the tables. Yugi squinted at the florescent lights. This was not going to end well.

Ayame and Kiko pulled soft cushioned spinning chairs next to the tables. The other girls filled in spaces around them, ignoring the concept of personal space. Yugi felt Ryou sqiurm next to him.

Kiko pushed her glasses up on her nose, although they weren't falling in the first place. "Alright clients, tell us what's going on."

Ryou snorted. "But you already-"

_Smack! _The boys jumped. One of the cronies had smacked the table with a ruler. Kiko cleared her throat. "No backtalk. This is our therapy session. We're running the show. Now," the ruler was pressed to Ryou's adam apple, "What is the problem?"

Ryou, scared out of his wits, proceeded to tell the girls their tales with the upperclassmen. Yugi looked at them warily. Their expressions were hard, but he could see they were genuinely interested in the story. At one point Ayame whistled, and one of the girls poked Yugi, whispering something about how great it was that Yami noticed him. He made a note to stay away from her. There was a hint of jealousy, and jealous girls made the worse enemies. Oh, he knew. His hair was chopped in seventh grade due to a case like that.

"Well guys, your only solution is to have sex."

_What? _The comment distracted Yugi from his thoughts. He looked at Ayame. Although the comment was outrageous, the girl looked nothing but serious. "How do you figure sex will help with any of this?"

She pulled the ridiculous glasses off her nose. "There's a lot of sexual tension between the four of you. Its causing you all to fight like cats and dogs. So, you all must get rid of it."

Yugi sighed. He should've run when he had the chance. Let Ryou handle this madness. "Ayame, listen, I don't think-"

_Smack! _Yugi choked and rolled off the table onto his knees. Kiko squated down to look at him. "Didn't we tell you we were running the show?"

He rubbed his throat, not daring to say anything else. Satisfied he wasn't going to be anymore of a problem, Kiko stood and motioned to the other girls. They left in a hurry inbetween the shelves. Kiko came around and helped him up. "You both are virgins, correct?"

The two nodded. Ayame clapped her hands together and giggled. "This is perfect! Although we know nothing about butt sex," Yugi choked again, "We can provide some type of advice as your unofficial therapists."

As if on cue, the other girls returned with books. Ryou was pushed off the table and the books were put in his place. Kiko moved over to the table and began making two piles. "With our limited knowledge, we'll be able to provide you two with some tips." She looked over her glasses at them. "No means no."

"Only do things you're comfortable with," Ayame chimed in.

"Make sure lubricant is availible."

"As well as condoms!"

"Always prep the anal!"

"Make sure you _clean _the anal. Don't want any shit falling out!"

The two looked at each other and grinned. "And always record!" Kiko pulled a small video camera from under her chair and handed it to Ryou. He looked like he wanted to say something, but the sight of the ruler scared him into silence.

Kiko handed them each a pile of books. "Go check these out and you're free to go. We won't even charge you for our time. And the next few updates will be free of charge as well."

Ryou and Yugi wasted no time in getting to the check-out desk, ignoring the giggling girls behind them. They didn't speak as the librarian checked them each out, smiling in response at the weird looks they were getting. Once they were bagged and outside, Yugi wacked Ryou with his bag of books.

Ryou stumbled. "Hey! What was that for?"

Yugi glared at him. "For pulling me into that! I knew those girls were crazy. But no, you just had to go with them as our only option for help."

Ryou pouted and rubbed his arm. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. I didn't realize they were crazy therapists. But something good did come out of it."

"What?"

The white haired boy held up his bag. "We'll be able to put it down when the time comes!"

Yugi blanched. Had he really just heard that? "I can't believe you just said that." Ryou never said things like that! We'll, he'd been to Bakura's a couple of times. Who knew what went on inside his head anymore.

Ryou opened his mouth to respond, but instead let out an angry wail and rubbed the back of his head. "What the crap, man!" He glared at Yugi. "Why'd you throw a rock at me?"

Yugi's face dropped. "You're looking right at me! You would've seen- OW!"

The sharp sensation of a rock smacking the back of his head made him cringe. He rubbed the spot feverishly and looked up. "Where are these things coming from?"

"Hey! Stop right there!

* * *

Finally! He'd found them. After flying all over town, he was beginning to think it was hopeless.

Kile started at the school, thinking he'd be able to check on Bakura's friends and track down the freshmen all in one go. No such luck. Turns out none of the upperclassmen showed up for school today and he had to track each of them down. Yami was the easiest. He was bedridden as Bakura was, and his room was in shambles, no doubt the results of a meltdown. Kaiba was at work, immersed in whatever he was doing in his office. No one was allowed to see him, not even his brother, and his phone was disconnected for the day. Kile found Katsuya taking a walk in the park, the headphones in his ears making him oblivious to the world. He couldn't locate Anzu at all, leaving him to settle with a heavy feeling in his gut. He was sure it had something to do with Akio, but he didn't have time to search her down.

When he made it back to the school, the students had been dismissed and Yugi and Ryou were no where to be found. It should not have taken him this long to find them with his cupid senses, but now that they were just down the block, he wasn't letting them get away.

The rocks were a great way to get their attention. They were now facing him, unsuallay hostile, but he didn't care. His eyes landed on the one called Ryou and he ran full speed at him. The idiot didn't bother to move, and Kile successfully tackled him. They landed in the grass, Kile on top, and he punched Ryou in the face.

"How dare you! You hurt Bakura, bastard!"

He was slamming Ryou's head into the grass when he knocked off to the side. He landed on his side and the other one body slammed on top of him. "You can't beat on Ryou like that!"

Kile attempted to throw the boy off, but Ryou moved around him and pinned his arms to the ground. Damn kids! "Get off me right now, or I'll ruin your love lives! You'll die lonely - except for the old and rusty duel cards that you'll use to surround yourself with imaginary guests!"

Yugi scowled. "What?"

Oh, right. They didn't know who he was. Kile used the distraction to kick the kid off of him and pull his arms free. He stood and faced the two, ready for any partner attack they would come up with. "You two are lucky I don't do more damage than that."

Ryou laughed. "You hit like a girl, dude."

"Says the one who looks like one!" Kile rubbed his temple, remembering why he searched them out in the first place. "I need to talk to the two of you. It's about Bakura and Yami."

"Oh no!" Yugi grabbed Ryou's arm and began dragging him away. "I don't know who you are, but stay away from us. We're done getting help from anyone."

This kid had some balls. Usually he would have respected that, but he didn't have the patience today. Kile grabbed Ryou's other wrist. "I don't care what you do, but I need to talk to your friend."

Yugi tugged on his friend. "No you don't. Come on Ryou."

"Wait Yugi!" Ryou pulled himself free of both boys. "He knows Bakura. He might be able to help."

The smaller boy stomped his foot. "After what just happened?"

Ryou shrugged. "This is one guy. What can he do?" He finally turned his attention to Kile. "Well, what is it?" He shifted nervously. "He's not too mad, is he? I really feel bad."

Kile snorted. "As you should. Shocking as it is, he's not upset."

Ryou smiled. "Really?"

"That's nothing you should happy about!" Freshmen. "Bakura's at home depressed because of you. I don't know exactly what happened, but you should feel lucky I'm not kicking your ass right now."

Instead of cowering in fear, the freshman just sighed. "I knew I should have thought this whole thing through. Now look what's happened."

Kile narrowed his eyes. "Thought what through?"

Ryou gulped, and Kile saw Yugi take a step back. "I kind of led Bakura on." He flinched when Kile took a step forward. "But I didn't realize he liked me that much! I swear. I was sure he would just be mad and get over it."

Kile twitched. He briefly thought about putting one of his arrows through the kid's neck. "You have to be the stupidest kid ever. Even the worst people have hearts."

Yugi snorted, reminded the two of his presence. "Tell him again."

"You can't say anything you generic ass Yami." The boy's jaw dropped. "I heard what you did to him, and he's in the same condition as Bakura. You have to be more heartless than this idiot is."

Yugi glared at him, but didn't say anything. The boy knew he was right; they both did. Hopefully they'd take this information and use it wisely, or he'd ruin their love lives permantly. Kile wasn't sure he could handle a sadden Bakura another day. He'd take angry any time.

Yugi cleared his throat. "While this talk was more than insightful, Ryou and I really need to go.

Without waiting for a response, Yugi nudged Ryou and turned away. Ryou waved to Kile and made to follow his friend, but the plastic bag he'd been holding ripped up the middle, his books falling everywhere. Yugi turned around with a gasp while Ryou fell to the ground with a wail.

Kile rolled his eyes and knelt as well. "Stop being so dramatic. I'll help you out."

"No! Wait!"

Kile picked up the book closest to him and flipped it over. His eyebrows shot up and he reached for the other books. The topics were all the same. He lifted his head. Yugi was backing away slowly, leaving Ryou gaping at him. They were both blushing "What the-"

Ryou reached over, grabbed the books and ran, Yugi in tow. Kile stood up, his anger coming back. "Make up sex won't fix this shit!"

* * *

_**A/N**__: I'm terribly sorry about the lateness guys. I've been really busy with prom, graduation and testing. Now that things are slowing down, I should be able to keep up with updates. Or at least keep this much time from passing. _

_What did you guys think? Reviews are love!_


	7. Distractions

A/N: I'm back in the game now! I have a new laptop, so now I can use my keys instead of copying and pasting letters. I apologize for the (long,long) wait. I'll do my best not to let happen again. Hopefully you guys are still with me.

Curtains!

_Chapter 7 - Distractions_

_Saturday morning_

Anzu pulled the make shift ice pack from her jaw, whistling in relief now that the burning sensation was gone. She made to drop the ice-filled towel, but a hand reached around her and gently took the thing from her. "You have to keep this on your face, or the swelling won't go down."

Ryuji pressed the cold towel back to her face. Anzu's attitude sparked, and she bit down on her tongue to prevent her from saying anything. It would be rude, considering he was only trying to help her, as he had for the past two days. She wasn't ungrateful; she just wanted Ryuji to give her some space.

The bed shifted, and he moved closer behind her, resting his arm on her bare shoulder. His free hand found its way into her hair, massaging her scalp. Sighing, Anzu relaxed and leaned back into his chest.

It's funny. She never found herself this comfortable with Akio, and he was her boyfriend. She was always on edge with him, desperate to keep him in good spirits so they wouldn't resort to fighting. With Ryuji, she worried none about mood swings or temper tantrums. He was always his best around her, even when she upset him.

"Zu-zu?"

Ah. That ridiculous nickname again. "Hm?"

He hesitated. "When are you leaving?"

She smiled, even though he couldn't see it. "I'm not sure. Whenever you let me go, I suppose."

Instead of laughing at her flirty joke, Ryuji pulled his hand from her hair and propped her up. "We need to talk."

_Uh oh._ Anzu replaced his hand on the towel and turned to face him. His green eyes were all business now. "About?"

"Us. You. Akio."

Anzu frowned. "Ryuji, we can't have one day without you bringing this up?"

His eyes darkened. "Well I can't help it if the girl I like continues to throw herself at a guy who hurts her."

She turned her head away. "That's none of your business."

"It is when you show up at my door covered in blood and bruises!" He sighed. "Have you looked in the mirror since you've been here? This is the worse time yet, and you know it."

He was right. She did know. Although most of the bruising and swelling had gone down, she was still in no condition to return home. Her lip was busted and was not completely healed. The skin on her jaw was purplish and was just beginning to return to it's normal color.

"Why do you keep going back to him?"

Anzu started. The question caught her off guard. "He's my boyfriend," she answered stupidly.

Ryuji's eyes narrowed. "That can easily be fixed."

This whole conversation was beginning to wear on her patience. "I love him Ryuji! Why can't you see that?"

"No, you don't."

"How can you tell me how I feel?"

"Because," his tone changed dangerously. "If you did, you wouldn't come running to me every time he hurt you. I'm the one taking care of you, something he should be doing. We kiss, we touch..." He paused. "I wouldn't be that person you trust to help you when things go wrong with him. Hell, Anzu, you're not even happy with him. So don't sit here and tell me you love him."

Again, she had no response. What could she say? He was right. She always found herself in his arms when things weren't looking up. She had Katsuya, Seto, and Yami, maybe even Miho, to run to for support, but she chose him. Always him. He provided the comfort she couldn't get from her male friends, and what Akio didn't give her. He was safe, loving, and everything else she was looking for.

Anzu wasn't stupid; she was well aware that what Akio did to her was wrong. But she didn't want to leave him. She couldn't. Akio depended on her for love and support, a helping hand. He needed help with problems no one else could understand, and he'd chosen her. She wasn't going to back of it now. "Listen, Ryuji, he's-"

He cut her off with a kiss. It was nothing extraordinary, just a light peck on her lips, but it did things to her.

Ryuji pulled back and smiled weakly at her. "Real boyfriends don't treat their girlfriends like this." He paused. "Let me show you everything he isn't."

She was startled for the second time in no more than thirty minutes. Ryuji's eyes roamed her body, and she flushed. She suddenly felt naked. Although they slept in the same bed before, he had never seen her so indecent. Anzu made sure to keep covered when she stayed the night with him. However, he'd given her the empty room last night, and she slept as freely as she did at home. She changed into one of his shirts, it being so big that it slipped off her left shoulder. She removed her bra, sleeping was more comfortable that way, and opted with no bottoms. The only material covering her legs was the comforter on the bed. conscious of what he could see, Anzu reached for the blanket to cover herself. Ryuji, seeing what she was doing, caught her wrist and pushed her on her back.

His grin turned mischievous as he hovered over her. "Ryuji-"

"Just shut up sometimes."

Xx

Jounouchi had a habit of talking to strangers, especially if they were cute and not too difficult to get into his little blue book.

This was not one of those times.

This stranger wasn't a stranger really. The first time he'd seen the guy was at school. However, his friends were a bit faster than him, causing him to lose out on this one.

"Kile right? You're Bakura's friend."

The shorter boy frowned a bit at the mention of the senior's name, but cleared his face of any emotion. "That's right. And you're Jounouchi, Kaiba's boyfriend."

Jounouchi blanched. "No. Not at all."

Kile looked surprised. "Really? It looked like something was going on to me..."

"If you haven't heard by now, I don't do relationships."

"That, or you're just afraid."

Jounouchi frowned. Kile was pretty nosy despite being somewhat a stranger to him. No one went around saying things like that, except creeps and..."Did Se-Kaiba send you?"

Much to his annoyance, Kile looked amused. Jounouchi didn't understand what was so funny. "A guy can't stroll through the park without having a motive, huh?"

"Answer the question," Jounouchi growled.

He was pissed. How dare Kaiba send someone out to do his dirty work for him. No kiss-ass was going to come after him and think they'd get away with it. If Kaiba wants to know anything, he would have to approach Jounouchi himself. There will be none of that sending representatives shit.

Kile rolled his eyes, obviously not impressed with Jounouchi's menace. "No, your play thing did not send me. I came here on my own free will. But since you brought him up, let's talk." He motioned to a near by bench. "Have a seat."

Jounouchi watched the boy stalk to the benches, no doubt expecting him to follow. Being as stubborn as he was, Jounouchi refused at first. What could Kile have to speak to him about, especially if it was about Kaiba? The boy probably didn't know a thing about them except for the talk in the hallway. Still, something about Kile had him curious. He was unusually confident about having a conversation he didn't know a thing about.

Kile smiled. "Are you going to stare all day?"

Jounouchi huffed in response and walked to the bench, falling into the spot next to Kile. "Alright. What do you want?"

Kile ran a hand over his curls. Jounouchi couldn't help but notice how shiny they were. "I want to help you."

"How?"

"For one, your issues with Kaiba."

The juniors eyes widened. "How-wha-?"

Kile dismissed his noise with a slight wave. "The crushes and one night stand? Yeah, I know all about that. And even though you've completely fucked up because of your ridiculous morals, I'm going to do what I can to help you. Got it?"

"No. I don't." He cowered a bit when Kile glowered at him, but continued on. "I dont know how you know any of that - if Bakura told you, let him know I'm kicking his ass - but it's none of your damn business. I can handle Kaiba on my own."

An annoying smirk made its way on Kile's face. "Like you have been the past week?"

This fucker.

He continued. "Pretending you have things under control is not helping your situation. It's clear you have no idea how to go about getting Kaiba to talk to you, and any plan you're sure to come up with will fail."

People questioning his intelligence pissed him off more than Kaiba. Jounouchi grabbed Kile by the collar and flipped him off the bench. His back hit the ground with a loud thud, and Jounouchi held him in place with his arms. "You have a lot of balls for someone who just got here. I'm not someone to mess with."

Something in Kile's eyes flashed, and Jounouchi found himself on the receiving end of a chokehold. Kile was now standing, holding Jounouchi up by the neck. "I'm not someone to mess with either. I'm not one of your friends; put your hands on me again and I won't be so lenient."

Kile released him. Jounouchi found his footing and looked at Kile warily. He was glad no one was paying attention. This boy, smaller than him by a lot, had easily bitched him. Jounouchi found it unnerving, as he was the one to do the bitching. He made a note to himself to compliment Kaiba on his choice of undercover spies.

"Alright Kile; what do you want?"

The change on the boy's face was stellar; his blazing frown turned into a cheerful smile. It would have been hard to believe the boy was capable of violence had Jounouchi not seen it himself. "Glad you're seeing it my way. Things will be much easier now."

The warning bells in Jounouchi's head went off. "What things?"

Xx

Kile frowned as he watched Bakura and Jounouchi roll around on the floor. He supposed it was his fault, considering he informed neither boy of his plans for today. Needless to say, the reactions he got when the two of them walked through Bakura's front door startled him, making him remember why he needed to think his plans out more thoroughly.

The first thing the two had seen when entering the house was a half-naked Bakura. The senior was clad only his boxers, a large blanket trailing after him. The large bag of chips he'd been holding met with Kile's face.

"What the hell?! You weren't supposed to be back until later! Now I'm all exposed and shit."

Kile rolled his eyes. "Like you ever really care. Are you ready?"

Bakura sighed. "Yeah, yeah."

Jounouchi snickered. "You and your boyfriend are so cute." His tone was mocking.

The senior sneered. "Boyfriend?"

Jounouchi grinned, waving him off. "It's alright, Kile already told me. If you want to keep it a secret, I understand. I won't say a word."

"He what?"

Kile shrunk a little under the look Bakura was giving him. He silently wished for Jounouchui to shut up. "Yeah, I was a little surprised too. I didn't expect you to give up on Ryou so easily."

Bakura blanched. "I don't know what this idiot told you, but we are certainly not together."

Weirdly enough, hearing Bakura say that actually made Kile's breath hitch. It was one thing when they were alone and Bakura would deflect his advances. It was another hearing him say it to another. Kile dropped his head, unsure of what was going on with him.

Jounouchi, being the observant person he is, scolded Bakura. "Look what you just did! I understand if you don't want anyone to know yet, but you can't just reject him to his face!"

Instead of responding, Bakura dropped his blanket and leapt at his friend, resulting in the tangled mess they were in now. Kile allowed the two to bang each others heads in the ground five minutes more before he intervened. They had work to do. Kile stepped over to them and grabbed Jounouchi by the back of his shirt, tugging him off. Jounouchi stood up quickly, obviously remembering what happened earlier. While it amused Kile, he had to remember that this kid could easily beat him to a pulp. This strong act was only something he was using to get his way.

Bakura rolled on his back, glaring at him. "You're always ruining something."

Kile rolled his eyes. "We have work to do."

Bakura nodded and stood, heading for the dining area. Kile and Jounouchi followed. They took seats on either side of the dining table, Kile next to Bakura, Jounochi directly in front of them. Already on the table was a small stack of paper and a pencil, which Bakura instructed Jounouchi to grab. The boy slid a piece of paper over to himself, fiddling with the recently sharpened pencil in his other hand. His eyes were gleaming with curiosity. "What's all this for?"

Bakura frowned. "Isn't it obvious? You're going to write a letter."

Jounouchi blinked. "To?"

"Kaiba."

Jounouchi placed the pencil on the table. Kile noticed his eyes were guarded now. "I don't think this is a good idea. I wouldn't even know what to say."

"I figured." Jounouchi's defeated look turned into a glare. Bakura ignored it, opening his bag of chips.

Kile coughed, attempting to smooth over Bakura's ridiculing comment. The boy could be so damn mean when he wanted to. "Letter writing is never easy."

His explanation seemed to have saved him. Jounouchi's face relaxed. "I couldn't just go to the company myself? Or shoot him an email?"

Bakura crunched loudly a chip. "You wouldn't even make it on company grounds. Kaiba doesn't like you. And don't you think Kaiba gets enough emails already? What makes you think you won't delete yours too?"

Jounouchi's face turned red; he was embarrassed by the obvious answer. Kile almost wanted to smack Bakura for handling the situation like this, but he didn't want to get involved too much. Is Bakura wanted his help, he needed to earn it. d

Jounouchi picked up the pencil and started a sentence on the first piece of paper. Kile watched eagerly, surprised that the boy didn't have any questions or ask for any advice. However, when Jounouchi had dotted a period on his third sentence, he dropped the pencil again. "I don't know what I'm doing."

So much for that. Kile sighed. Bakura through a chip at his eye. "You looked like you were creating a letter to me."

The blonde picked up the paper and cleared his throat. "Dear Kaiba, I'm sorry about what's happened over the past few weeks. I don't want you to think you were a one night stand. We were more like friends with benefits, something I thought we were both okay with."

Bakura barked with laughter, bits of chewed chip landing on the table and Jounouchi's paper. Kile rubbed his forehead, removing the bits of spittle that had made it up there. "That's freaking horrible dude."

Kile couldn't handle it anymore. He punched Bakura in the shoulder. The bully jerked to he left, not hurt, but not expecting Kile to have the audacity to act touch him. The two traded looks before Bakura rolled his eyes. "How do you really feel about Kaiba? And none of that shallow shit."

"I like him, but I don't think it's going to work."

His tone caught Kile's full attention. Even Bakura had stopped snacking momentarily. Jounouchi continued. "Since I met Kaiba, I knew he was always better than me. I was surprised when we became friends and all that, especially when it was obvious the only reason I started talking to him was to add him to my list of scores. I don't know when it turned into a crush, probably the day my dad left me on my own. Kaiba looked after me then, making sure I always had enough. He even made it so I wouldn't get caught living without an adult. He's always been my best friend.

"Now I don't even know what's going on. It started over the summer. Kaiba admitted that he felt something for me, and was interested in pursuing it. I was surprised; not only was one of the richest guys in the world my friend, someone who is beneath him in everything, but he liked me. He wanted me. I turned him down."

Kile frowned. "But you returned his feelings?"

Jounouchi smiled. It was a bitter smile. "I couldn't see myself getting into a real relationship. I was a wanted guy, and I wanted everything that came with it. Relationships wouldn't work with me. I thought it was settled then, but things were different between us. I always had to watch myself with Kaiba; my feelings go off the charts when it comes to him. My little crush was born off his friendship. I figured I still wanted to get him into bed despite him being my best friend. So when it happened that night of the Christmas party, I didn't stop. And now we're here."

Jounouchi dropped his head on the table. "I messed up big time."

Bakura picked up the paper and grimaced. "That's what usually happens when you fuck your best friend."

Kile looked back. "Bakura!" Jounouchi didn't need that now."

The senior shrugged. "It's true. Sugar coating it won't help anything." He focused back on Jounouchi. "What's up with you and relationships? It has something to do with that father of yours, doesn't it?"

Jounouchi didn't bother picking his head off the table. "Everyone I was ever close to left me behind. Once you guys are graduated and gone, you will too."

"So you're scared."

He lifted his head up then, anger clouding his features. "I'm not scared of anything."

Bakura snorted. "So what do you call it?" He didn't allow Jounouchui to answer. "If you're serious about this, skip making a scene and write the damn letter. Just write what you told us and you'll be okay."

Surprisingly, Bakura's no nonsense tone worked. Jounouchi picked up the pencil and started on a fresh piece of paper without another word. Kile and Bakura stayed silent, watching the boy write. Soon, Bakura became bored and announced that he was going to his room to do take a short nap. Kile barely registered what the boy had said.

The bitter feeling from earlier was back. He wasn't sure, but he thought he was feeling the pang of rejection. Could cupids even feel that? They were never rejected. But still, for what? Bakura had made it known from the time they met that he had eyes for no one except the freshman. This annoyed Kile for reasons he hadn't known then, but now he was sure he harbored some feelings for Bakura. It was quite shocking, considering the other hosts he'd taken to bed were forgotten easily. They were nothing but pleasure things to him, a way of payment, while he helped them out with whatever was going on in their love lives. This was the first time one had ever received real emotion from him before.

"Kile, is this a good start?"

Jounouchi slid the paper across the table. He looked nervous, hoping he'd done right. Kile smiled and picked up the paper. He didn't have time to be in his feelings now. He had to focus on his real reason for being here.

Xx

Again, I apologize for this taking so long guys.

Review are love. =D


	8. Unaccepted Apologies (Part 1)

**A/N: **_Woot! Here I am guys. I know some of you thought this story was dead - no way in hell! I couldn't leave you all hanging like that. I honestly didn't expect to be this long. Now I have to extend some things, and work around the now changing plot, and it's looking like this is going to be a two part story. The first part will be concluded in the next chapter (or two). I'm beginning to plan out the second half of the story - some ideas would be love guys!_

_**SincereJoyy - In Crush, Ryou challenged Bakura to quit his bullying until New Years if he wanted a shot at dating.**_

_Curtains!_

_Chapter 8 - Unaccepted Apologies (Part 1)_

If there was anything Ryou believed in strongly, it was not regretting a single decision he made. Because of this, he analyzed and over analyzed every opportunity that came his way. Eventually he'd gotten so good he did't mull over choices long. But as of late, he was beginning to realize that everything that happened with Bakura was all a big mistake.

The thought of actually dating the bully had been funny to him at first. There was no way he could ever be involved with someone who tormented him, much less achieve some type of intimacy level with them. Even during those times when Ryou visited said bully's house, eat his food, and take those long naps with him did Ryou never consider the possibility of falling for the senior and pursuing a relationship with him. Perhaps get to know him as an associate, maybe even a friend. Boyfriend had been out of the question. And Yugi mentioned that there was some documented paranoia

Now, he was eating away his nails, unsure what to do. It was a beautiful Saturday morning - he should be out with Yugi and eating some ice cream, as was tradition of theirs despite the cold weather. Instead, he was content with snuggling in under his covers and watching a pointless drama on TV. Ironically, the boy on the TV show was experiencing the same problems as he, although Ryou remembered the boy was pining after some female character.

How ironic.

His door slammed open, and his mother bounced in, singing some tune.

"There's something about the sunshine baby," she belted out as she took initiative and pulled open Ryou's curtains. The sudden light hurt his eyes, causing him to squint. "Good God Mom, what the hell?"

She grunted and leaned over to swat his forehead. "Language! And you know the rule about sleeping in. You'll become like that father of yours and do nothing but scratch your ass and watch those awful pornos all day."

His mother proceeded to sit on the bed then, removing the covers and gently taking his fingers from his mouth. "Is something wrong? Do I need to get the thermometer?"

He panicked, remembering the uncomfortable insertion of the cold metal into his behind. "No Mom, just feeling lazy today."

"Alright, great." She paused. "You haven't been to see your friend in a while."

"Yugi? I see him everyday," he spoke slow, hoping to get distract with the mention of his best friend's name. His mother loved Yugi.

"No, no." No such luck. "That one that looks like you. Bakura."

He flinched at the name, remembering their last encounter. "I'm not sure if we're friends right now, Ma."

"What? Why? You two were getting on just great."

"We had a fight."

Unexpectedly, his mother placed her hands on either side of his face, squishing it and lifting his head to meet hers. "A lover's spat. Those are always the worst. He seemed to really adore you though." She frowned. He could feel the turn of her lips on his. "He didn't leave you after sex did he? You know I'll get my machete-"

"Mom," he cut her off, "we didn't have sex and we're definitely not together." He pushed her away. "I'm not even like that."

It was a shame he hadn't even told his mother his sexual preference yet. She wouldn't reject him, seeing as she seemed to have a clue he was gay already. Perhaps it was a nervous thing - not many people knew, no one asked, or some just figured it out, like Bakura.

His mother laughed, a michevious gleam appearing in her eyes. "Ryou it's obvious. The sugar is practically falling out your ass."

He blushed, and an unusual pulsing began around his anal. What could he possibly to say to that? He watched his mother get up from the bed and head to the door. Before she left, she turned to him, her smile gone. She was all business now. "You should probably go see him. Putting off your problems only makes them worse."

He nodded and she left, satisfied with his answer. Maybe he would go see Bakura and apologize. He at least owed the senior that. He didn't even need to read those horrible books to know that.

_Hopefully I won't leave any sugar on his doorstep, _he thought bitterly.

Xx

"I feel good! I knew that I would!"

Yami yelped and grinded on the counter, bobbing his head to the beat. His parents were out, his pants and shirt were discarded somewhere; the freedom he was feeling was sending him into a fit of ectasy and no one was going to ruin it for him.

Yami hopped off the counter and slid across the tile floor to the fridge. Backing his butt up into an imaginary dance partner, he bent and pulled open the freezer, swiping a popsicle and slamming the door shut. Shaking his hips, he danced to the garbage and tossed the wrapper, popping his lips when it fell in. The power of sexiness always prevails.

He was just strutting into the living room when he heard the front door unlock. _Oh man. Someone home already? _Yami slurped the popsicle and trudged to the front hall to greet whoever was coming in.

The door opened, and instead of his mother or father entering, it was an unfamiliar grown man in a suit and sunglasses. Yami dropped the popsicle. "What the fu-"

The man lunged and Yami screamed, turning around to run. He made it to the steps before he was yanked by the waistband of his boxers. Looking behind him, he saw that the man had attached some type of claw to his underwear and was not reeling him back. Yami held onto the banister, but the man was too strong for him. His hands slipped off the wood and he slid backwards across the floor. Yami screamed again, hoping someone would hear him.

Once the man had reeled him close enough, he picked Yami up and tossed him over his broad shoulder, walking out the door. Yami beat on this man's back, yelling at the top of their lungs. He didn't understand why no one was coming to help; a random man was carrying a wailing teenage boy down the steps of his supposedly safe home. And not just any teenage boy - Yami! Everyone knew and loved him on this block, even the old people.

The more distance that was put between Yami and his home caused him to panic; he was being kidnapped. He'd only seen these things on TV, but those people could have easily avoided capture if they'd been smart about hiding. Yami didn't have the chance. Somehow, this guy had gotten into his house easily.

Wait - his parents! This man must have gotten to them first and taken the key. That would mean that his family had been stalked for a while now, and whoever wanted them was waiting for the perfect time to strike. But who could possibly be after them? His parents weren't boring, but they weren't about that life either. There was no way they could possibly be leading secret lives and keep it under his nose. He was good at figuring out secrets - especially ones that big. And he certainly had no enemies above high school level, and surely wasn't worried about those. There was something his parents weren't telling him, or someone had it out for him.

The man lifted Yami and roughly tossed him in the back of a black limo, climbing in after him. Yami scrambled to the corner seat and hugged himself into a ball. The man sat opposite of him, pulling out a phone from the inside pocket of his jacket. Yami watched as he pressed a few numbers in and held the phone to his ear. He couldn't tell if the man was watching him as he still had on those ridiculous sun glasses.

"I have him. He's unharmed. Shaken a bit, but no damage done." The man paused, looking up for a moment to look over Yami. Yami shrunk further into himself, angry and embarressed with his current state of being nearly naked. "We're on our way. See you soon."

He closed his phone and put it way, leaning back against his seat. Yami studied him, trying to figure out where this was going. Clearly no harm was supposed to come to him, something Yami was grateful for. Whoever had him kidnapped would be getting a gracious thank you from him. There was a chance he would make it through this with no bruises.

Yami paused. He watched enough t.v. to know captors never hurt their captives if there was a possibility of selling them elsewhere. So if he wasn't meant to get hurt...

Oh. Fuck.

Yami spent the rest of the ride thinking of worst case scenarios. The most likely place he was going to be sent was a brothel. He'd been with guys before, but he always topped. Those places paid a lot for virgins. The thought of being made to give himself up for some dirty man nearly sent Yami over the edge.

"Let's go."

Yami started. The car had stopped; through the tinted windows, he saw that they were parked behind a tall building. Without waiting for Yami to move, the man grabbed him by his arm and pulled him out of the limo. He was dragged unceremonisly to the steel back door. The man knocked twice and the door swung out, narrowly missing the two of them. Just inside the door was another man in the same attire as Yami's captor. The two men nodded to each other and Yami was walked in. He squeaked when the new man gripped his other arm. Together they guided Yami up a couple flights of stairs to another heavy door. The second man opened it and the three of them entered well lit and polished hallway. The floors were recently waxed, and portraits of various things hung on the clean white walls. Yami frowned and shivered, the air conditioning wafting cold air over him. What kind of slave place was this?

As they walked down the hallway, Yami studied the walls. For some reason, he was getting the feeling that he'd been to this place before, but he couldn't place when or why. The only time he visited buildings like these was to cause trouble with Bakura.

Yami's ear picked up on noise, and he turned his head to look over the second guys shoulder. They were passing a large room with tall glass windows. There were rows of desks with few people sitting at them. The rest of the occupants of the room were gathered in the middle, throwing papers and colored pencils at each other. In the middle of the chaos was a small boy participating in a violent game of tug-of-war with a worker. Yami had to do a double take - the boy had hair just like his. Just like someone else he knew.

Before he could figure out why a Yugi look alike was in a building for sex slave trades, he was tossed into a room just down the hall. He slid across the carpeted floor, colliding head first into the desk; he was sure his forehead would be bruised.

"Get up, idiot."

_That voice._

Yami stood, angry and confused. Kaiba sat behind his desk, leaning back his chair with his elbow propped on the arm of the chair. He sighed and rested his cheek in his hand. "It's about time you showed up. I should have collected you myself."

Yami twitched. "Kaiba, what the fuck?"

He frowned. "What the fuck is right. Where are your damn clothes?"

Yami slammed his palms on the desk. "I was at home! Why would I need clothes?"

Kaiba shook his head, pressing a button the desk intercom. "Could someone get my cousin," he rolled his eyes at the title, "some clothes? I don't have the patience for naked idiots today."

The intercom beeped, and Kaiba recieved a static filled reply. _"On it, sir." _The voice beeped off, then beeped on again. _"By the way, there's a situation on your floor. Apparently some kid broke into the game designs room. He's caused a brawl."_

Kaiba growled. "Are you telling me that security is incapable of handling one lousy kid?"

The woman stuttered. _"No sir. It's just-"_

"Handle it then, idiots!"

Yami spoke, brinigng attention back to him. "She isn't the idiot here, and I'm not either. When does it become easier for you to send your body guards to my house than making a damn phone call?"

Kaiba shrugged. "When I remember, every day, that I have the money to do as I please."

Yami sighed loudly, dropping in the chair in front of the desk. His thick headed cousin was being just as thick headed as ever. "Why am I here?"

"I need you for something."

Yami drew designs in the capet with his toes, eyes shifting to the door when it opened. A small lady, probably a secretary, shuffled in quickly with a small pile in her hand. "Obviously. People don't get kidnapped for nothing these days."

She paused, looking at Yami, before continuing to the desk. "It's about the possibility of my death."

He and the secretary froze. "What?"

Wasn't that a shocker. Yami felt himself starting to panic. His cousin was going to die, and he was just saying something now? The bastard. Yami's anger swelled.

Seto nodded. "I received something interesting in the mail today."

He disgregarded Seto's statement, slamming his fists on the CEO's desk for the second time. A bad habit, he realized, he picked up from Bakura. He would need to work on that. "How can you be so calm? You're going to die Seto!"

The woman squeaked and ran out of the office. Seto barely looked at him, shuffling through papers on his desk. Yami continued. "This isn't the way you tell someone you aren't going to make it, Seto. We're supposed to have one big family meeting so that we'll all be ready for the big day when it comes. Now you decide to dump this news on me. I don't know what to do with it! I feel like I'm going to freak out. Seto, really, you should have planned this out differently or some-"

"If you are quite finished," Seto glared at him, his tone warning, "here. This is the death threat that was sent." Seto tossed the letter across the desk. It slid to the edge in front of Yami, tempting the boy with its crisp white envelope and cleanly licked stamped. Peering down at the handwriting on the front, Yami frowned. The messy cursive was familiar though he couldn't place where he'd seen it.

"Well, are you going to open it or not?"

Yami nodded, but picked up the article of clothing on top of the pile. If he was going to read his cousin's written death, he wanted to be dressed. He slipped on the simple, white t-shirt, surprised that it fit perfectly. He pulled on the jeans next - while they fit as well, they weren't as tight as the rest of his pants were. Yami put on the socks and dark colored cardigan quickly, but paused at the shoes. They were regular black sneakers, but they weren't his usual flashy shoes. Sighing, he puts those on too. While it wasn't his usual attire, he couldn't be picky at the moment.

"Open the god damned letter."

Yami held out his arms. "Not until you tell me what this is. I keep clothes at your house."

Seto smirked, his eyes gleaming with sick amusement. "I took the liberty of disposing those clothes," Yami yelped, "and replacing them with things I think are more appropriate." He loked Yami over, nodding. "Surprisingly you don't look bad. You actually look normal."

Yami twitched. Seto knew he had a certain style. It reflected his personality. He wanted to be different. It's what made him attractive.

"Yami!" Seto was impatient now. "Open the letter!"

Yami stuck his tongue out at him. "You can't rush perfection jerk." Still, his curioisity always getting the better of him, he tore through the envelope and shook out the letter. He smoothed it out a little, more for show than anything, and began reading.

_Dear Seto,_

_I know I've been really harsh with you lately, but it's only because my feelings-_

"This isn't a death note."

Seto frowned. "What do you mean? Only assassins send these types of letters. I get all my important stuff through email."

Yami grinned, knowing exactly who'd sent the letter. The horrendus scrawl wasn't hard to place once he read the first line. He placed it in front of Seto. "Maybe you should read this. It's really none of my business."

Seto damn neared growled at him, snatching the letter up. "Quite selfish of you to think that my death affairs are none of your concern," he glanced down at paper, "but it shouldn't be too surprising considering-_oh_."

Yami snickered. It felt good when Seto was confused. Catching the suspicious teen off his guard proved hard. Yami would remember this moment for a while. "What does it say, dearest Seto?"

His cousin's eyes scanned the paper before he answered. "You may leave. Security will escort you out."

Yami's grin fell. "What?"

Seto smirked, not looking up once. "You heard me. I don't require your presence any longer. Leave so that I can figure out what to do with this."

He was going to get rid of him after all that struggle getting him here? After having him kidnapped, naked? Yami refused to let this meeting end like this. In a fit of bitterness, and childish rage, he pulled out his phone and turned on the camera. Before Kaiba knew what was happening, Yami had snatched the paper out of his hands and snapped a picture.

"Yami, what-!"

Yami threw the paper back in his face and ran like hell, throwing the door open and racing down the hall. A few minglers frowned, most likely wondering what a delinquent was doing in the building. Behind him, he heard Seto yelling.

"Stop him! I don't care if he is my cousin; use force is you have to! He's committed treason!"

Only Kaiba would think to accuse him of something like that. What a drama queen. Yami sped him, dodging the guards that threw themselves at him. Making a quick decision, he pushed open a door and nearly flung himself down the stairs - they could have caught him in the elevator.

Yami didn't stop until he was out the main door of Kaiba Corp., luckily ending up in front of the building, down the block, and around the corner. He knew he was being rude with pushing random people on the street out of his way, but he couldn't allow Kaiba's men to catch him. It would be hell if he was brought back to the office.

He turned another corner and spotted a game shop sign at the end of the block. It was the last place he would ever go, Yami didn't do games, at least not publicly, but that would make it the best place to hide for a while. He glanced behind him before pushing through the glass doors of the small shop. He stumbled in, holding his chest. He was far from out of shape -running was his thing- but he had to calm him heart.

Yami leaned against one of the glass cases, peering down at the cards. If he was going to be hiding out here, he might as well look around. He moved down the glass, looking at the different Duel Monsters cards. Some he had, being the crazy player he was, and some he definitely wanted. Perhaps on a later day when he knew his friends or anyone else could catch him would he trade some of his older games in for some more cards.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been in the store, but the sudden sound of the door's bell made him jump.

"Sorry I'm back late Grandpa. I had some trouble; these idiots thought they could draw Dark Magician better than ME. I had to-_What are you doing here?_"

Yami gulped. He wasn't expecting to face this so soon. It had only been a couple of days since the incident at school. He was cool, but not cool enough to get over something that had hurt his pride so much.

Turning, he spotted Yugi in the door. The boy's clothes were dishelved, and his hair resembled a messy mop on his head. He bit his lip, holding back a laugh. "Hey Yugi."

Xx

Ryou shuffled up the porch steps, chiding himself again for being such an idiot. A simple phone call would have done the trick, but no, he liked to take the polite, _right _route and apologize the old fashioned way. Ignoring the fear of being punched in the face went against his guidebook of dodging bullies, but he was Ryou, and Ryou did dumb things like this.

He raised his hand up and pushed the doorbell lightly, hoping no one would hear it.

A loud moan sounded, and the whole house creaked. The plants lining the porch shook a little, leaves fluttering a little.

Ryou had forgotten how the doorbell sounded. Courtesy of Bakura himself, the creepy chime was added to fit the spooky aura the house already projected.

A moment later the door opened and Bakura's mother stepped out, beaming down at Ryou. Although she was smiling, Ryou took a step back. The woman intimidated him since he first met her. She wasn't that much taller than him, but she had a presence as strong as Bakura's, perhaps stronger. "Ryou! Long time no see." Her smile faded, turning into a stern look. "Have you and Bakura made up?"

His face reddened. Had Bakura told her what happened? He readied himself for a world of explaining and apologizing to Bakura's mom; he should have thought to factor her in as well. "I'm really sorry about what happened. That's actually why I'm here. I want-"

Bakura's mother pulled him into the house, shutting the door behind him. The smile was back on her face , and she was signalling for him to follow her. "I don't know what happened with you two, so that won't do anything for me. C'mon, he's in his room with his friend."

Ryou sighed in relief and followed the woman to the stairs. So Bakura hadn't told her. That was such a relief. Though the woman didn't look it, Bakura inherited his evil ways from her, only he was not into hiding them. She was a much more relaxed person, though the more sinister side of her came out when she was pissed off. Luckily Ryou never had to experience that first hand, only hearing about it in one of Bakura's many stories. The last one he'd heard was how his mother tossed one of Bakura's old friends out a window into brush. Ryou vowed that day to become best friends with the woman.

Speaking of friends, Ryou noticed that Bakura's mother had said Bakura was with a friend. It wasn't so weird, since he hadn't been in school the remainder of the week. It was probably Yami, seeing as he was absent as well; the two were probably gossiping about what they were probably missing. Well, Yami gossiping and Bakura working not to injure his best friend. He may not be around the two of them at the same time, but it was a known fact that the two's odd friendship consisted of catty fights.

"I'm glad his friends are starting to stop by." He left his thoughts, realizing she had begun talking again. "Bakura hasn't been out of that room since he came on Wednesday and he won't tell anyone what's bothering him."

They reached the top stair and Bakura's mother headed for the second door on the right, the only closed door up here. She turned the knob and began pushing it open. "I figured i-oh!"

The woman squeaked, touching her cheek with her other hand. Her face was a mix of confusion and shock. Ryou frowned and stepped over to her, wondering what was going on in the teen's room that could have shocked even his mother. Ryou ducked under her arm a bit and stepped into the room. Following her eyes, Ryou jumped, wishing he had stayed in the hall.

Bakura had someone pinned underneath him on the bed, his grip tight and purposeful. Usually, this would be considered normal as far as Bakura goes - he was very violent and forceful - but seeing as the two were making out, Ryou determined this far from normal. In fact, he recalled a time when he'd been in a similar position, but they'd been interrupted.

"Bakura, what-!"

Only not by his mother.

Bakura sat up and looked, stiffening when he noticed the both of them at the door. He rolled off the boy, allowing him to sit up. Ryou's eyes widened. "You're that guy that attacked us that day."

Bakura's head whipped around, staring at the boy. "You did what?"

He didn't answer, instead lifting himself off the bed. "This isn't what it looks like-"

"You wanted to help us." Ryou cut him off, voice barely above a whisper. "I thought you said you wanted to help us."

Bakura stood this time, bumping the guy in the shoulder. "Kile, what's he talking about?"

Kile. Bakura and Yami's friend. Bakura's friend.

Ryou turned, mumbled an apology to Bakura's mother, and gently pushed her out his way. He calmly trudged through the hall and down the steps. Bakura was on his heels, pleading him to stop. This continued until the two arrived at the front door. Bakura stepped around Ryou and leaned against it, preventing the other from leaving.

Ryou looked every where but Bakura. "Please move."

"Not until we talk."

Ryou reached for the handle only to have his hand slapped away. "I have to go."

"After we talk. I suggest not touching the handle again."

He did as he was told. No matter how angry he was, Ryou would never be able to take on Bakura. That was a dream for another, farther away, day. "There's nothing to talk about."

Bakura sighed. "What about what happened Wednesday?"

Surprised, Ryou looked at him now. He showed no hostility about what happened between them, but it still surprised Ryou that he would bring it up right now. "What about it? I never wanted to date you. I never, and I don't like you. End of story."

The older boy smirked. "You're lying."

Well he certainly wasn't expecting this. "Excuse me?"

"You. Are. Lying. Fibbing. Story telling." Bakura lifted himself off the door, moving closer to Ryou.

Ryou took a step back, glaring at the boy now. "What makes you so sure?"

"You wouldn't be here if you didn't." He frowned then. "Maybe in the beginning you felt nothing at all...but I know that's changed!" His pitch changed sightly, getting higher with his emotion. "What's so bad about liking me?"

Ryou groaned. This was not a conversation he wanted to have. His origninal plan of apologizing and running off would have never worked. Nothing was ever simple with this boy, and Ryou should have known he wasn't going to escape without something happening.

"Nothing!" He made the mistake of answering too fast. "It's just that I don't."

A ghost of a smile made it's way on Bakura's face. "You do."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

Ryou whined. "Bakura, I really have to go. And your boyfriend is upstairs-"

"Shut up!" Ryou jumped, Bakura's harsh tone startling him. "You don't know anything about us."

Ryou blinked and looked away, finding a spot on the wall to concentrate on. "I think I saw enough to make safe assumptions." Bakura swore under his breath, knocking his fist into the wall. Ryou continued, ignoring how upset the senior was. "Listen, I do...like you. A lot actually. And I came over to apologize for leading you on in the beginning. I didn't realize things would go the way they did. I just realized I wanted to give you a chance."

"About damn time." It was impossible to miss how excited Bakura was. "Maybe now we can pick up where we left off."

Bakura stepped towards him and engulfed Ryou in a hug. It was different; nothing about it was forced or uncomfortable, but Ryou couldn't bring himself to hug Bakura back. The image of he and his friend, Kile his name was, flashed through his mind. He remembered being in Kile's place, whimpering a bit into Bakura's shoulder.

Ryou pulled away from the hug, reluctantly meeting Bakura's eyes. Confusion was plain as day on his face, and his arms dropped, hanging limp next to him. "Ryou...?"

"Bakura," Ryou paused, sliding his tongue across the back of his teeth, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to say. "We shouldn't. We can't."

Bakura's expression turned blank, his demeanor changing instantaneously. "What could possibly be preventing you from saying yes this time, Ryou?" His tone was mocking, and his arms were shaking in anger. "Is it Kile? He means nothing to me. That upstairs...I didn't know it was going to happen. It doesn't mean anything. He doesn't mean anything."

If Ryou was crazy enough, he'd think Bakura was pleading. But Ryou was not crazy, this was Bakura, and Bakura does not plead. He swallowed. "Doesn't matter. We're not good for each other. It's best if we-"

"Get out."

Ryou looked up in surprise. Bakura was not looking at him, but passed him. "What?"

Bakura growled, lurching forward and punching the wall next to Ryou's head. Ryou flinched, having not experienced the bully's temper in weeks. "Get the fuck out. NOW!"

The smaller boy didn't hesitate. He rushed past the senior and pulled open the door, flying out the house and down the steps. Behind him, Bakura's profanities and screams of frustration echoed down the street.

He really should have known better than listening to his mother. He understood she was only trying to help, but now Ryou was sure that he and Bakura would be reverting back into their old cat-mouse games.

He was done accepting help. If that meant leaving his and Bakura's relationship on the rocks, then so be it.

Xx

Reviews are LOVE!


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